Alexis' hands were shaking as she walked toward the courthouse from the parking lot. Somehow this had come so quickly, and though she was excited and even optimistic about what the result might be today, Alexis was still very much afraid. There was a lot at stake. If Judge Samuels didn't decide to amend the custody ruling, Judge Farmer would most likely remain the presiding judge in the case, and since Alexis had already seen how vindictive the woman could be, there was little doubt that the repercussions would be severe.

It was a fear of those very consequences that had paralyzed Alexis into inaction to this point. She was terrified of angering Farmer and losing what little contact she had with her child. The fear was understandable. But Alexis had forgotten how suffocating it was to live every day waiting for the other shoe to drop. What had somehow been endurable as a child was more intense and debilitating as an adult. Perhaps because she had fought so hard for her independence, Alexis hated having her life in the control of others. This time, it had been her own mistakes that had trapped her, not the machinations of an evil stepmother, but Alexis had reached her limits with the sound of Mac's voice on the phone as he told her about the accident. She had to get her daughter away from the Quartermaines, even if it meant going through with her promise to Ned.

Right now, what Alexis wanted and needed was to talk to Ric. Since she'd fallen asleep under his watchful eyes at GH night before last, he'd been pulling a vanishing act. Alexis knew through conversations with Dara that Ric was busy working on the case. 'Rounding up witnesses,' Dara had said, but Alexis felt strangely out of the loop, and that bothered her. It bothered her as the client in their hastily formed client/attorney relationship, and it bothered her because Alexis knew she had put trust in this man she barely knew on the most important issue in her life.

Why had he been able to sway her when Dara and Stefan had not? Both her brother and her lawyer had tried to convince her to challenge the validity of Farmer's custody ruling, but Alexis hadn't given in to either of them. So why had this man, Sonny's brother no less, been able to inspire her to stop cowering and start fighting again? It made no sense to her, and yet she couldn't deny that Ric Lansing was the person who had somehow reached down into her soul and pushed the right button.

Entering the courthouse, Alexis squared her shoulders and walked purposefully down the hall toward Judge Samuels' court. She was a bit early, but she wasn't the only one. Cameron was waiting by the door. Their only conversation of late had been him calling her to say he was rescheduling her appointment because he knew she needed to be with Kristina. His reasonability had stunned her, and she'd barely managed to say 'thank you' through the haze of her shock.

"Hello there." Cameron seemed to offer the greeting easily, a slight smile gracing his face as he did so. Alexis nodded and returned the welcoming gesture.

"Hi," Alexis said. She noted the tentativeness in her voice and cleared her throat before speaking again. "Thank you for coming."

"Well, I didn't really have much choice."

His words surprised her. Stefan had assured Alexis he hadn't used any undue influence on Cameron to get him to testify. She was about to begin assuring the doctor of just that when Cameron chuckled.

"That's not what I meant, Alexis."

"How do you know what I'm thinking?" she asked, and was rewarded with a larger grin than she'd received earlier.

"This would be one of those rare times I can actually figure out how your mind works, and it's obvious you'd assumed I meant you brother had coerced me into being here. But he didn't. What I meant was that I realized that I should be here. After all, I did promise to help you keep your daughter, didn't I?"

Alexis bit her lower lip nervously and shrugged. "I wasn't sure you thought that was such a great idea anymore."

"Yeah, well," Cameron began, a sigh interrupting his speech, "I, uh, I think I got a little sidetracked. I saw some things I thought I could help my friend with and when she didn't listen, I got stubborn. That's been known to happen with me. You should ask Alexander."

The mention of Zander brought a genuine and confident smile to Alexis' face. Cameron marveled at the ease with which she seemed to love the son he had yet to connect with. There was no reason someone like Alexis should care about Alexander, especially given the mistakes the boy had made, and yet she more than cared. He admired and was grateful for that.

"He has mentioned that about you," Alexis quipped, referencing Cameron's earlier statement. "And I want you to know that I do know you're just trying to help, Cameron, I really do. But you don't know what you're asking of me."

His thoughts wandered back to his conversation with Stefan Cassadine two days earlier. The mental image the man's words had conjured had been hard for Cameron to shake. In an instant, it became easy for him to envision Alexis as a young girl witnessing a horror that no adult should have to bear let alone a child. That she had survived it all was something to be marveled at, and the truth was, the greatest shock wasn't the unquenchable need for control Alexis felt, it was that there really hadn't been a break of some kind inside of her mind.

"Alexis, I'll tell you what," Cameron said as he moved closer to her, lowering his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "What do you say we spend the rest of your 'therapy' sessions filling in some of the blanks we have with each other? Maybe then I will understand what I'm asking and, you know, maybe you'll see why I feel compelled to ask."

An offer of middle ground--it was really all Alexis had been looking for, and her smile let Cameron know they had struck a deal.

"So, you ready?"

Alexis and Cameron both turned and their attention shifted to the just arrived Dara Jensen. She looked confident, something that relieved a bit of Alexis' stress.

The threesome made their way into the courtroom, and over the next several minutes Stefan and Nikolas arrived. The Quartermaines also began to filter in, Ned scowling at Alexis as he took a seat at the table opposite where she and Dara had deposited their collected notes and briefs. Ever the lawyer, Alexis hadn't been able to resist bringing in some of her own research with her.

When Bobbie Spencer arrived, Alexis watched as she gave an empathetic look to Monica. The best friends held each other's gazes momentarily, and then Monica nodded as if to say she understood. The brief communication over, Bobbie walked over to one of the seats directly behind Alexis and Dara.

"Bobbie." Alexis excused herself from her attorney and then walked over to where the redhead stood. "I just wanted... thank you for doing this. I know you and Stefan have quite a history, but... "

"Well, yes, we do," Bobbie agreed, "but this is about what's best for Kristina and I happen to think that's being somewhere her mother can help take care of her."

"I just want her to be safe," Alexis stated plaintively, and Bobbie nodded.

"I know that, and in spite of that history you mentioned, I know how much Stefan loves you, Alexis. I know he'll take good care of Kristina until she can go home with you."

She accepted the words at face value and thanked Bobbie again, but Alexis knew there was a bit more to Bobbie's appearance here today than just doing what was best for Kristina. Stefan hadn't been shy about reminding his former wife that Carly had moved heaven and Earth to keep Michael away from A.J. and, by default, the Quartermaines. It had been the last little nudge she needed to agree to testify.

Alexis returned to her seat, carefully avoiding looking Ned's direction, especially now that Edward had joined him and was up to his usual bellowing, threatening antics. Instead, she glanced at her watch and, noting the time, reached out to touch Dara on the shoulder.

"Do you know where he is?"

Dara glanced around and then shook her head.

"He'll be here, Alexis. Don't worry."

'Don't worry,' Alexis thought, 'sure.' She hadn't seen or personally heard from him in 36 hours, and now, with 10 minutes to go until the hearing began, Ric Lansing was nowhere to be found.

*****

When you've spent years dreaming about having the power to hurt someone you despise, it's hard to believe that you'd hesitate once you finally had the power, but Ric Lansing, armed with that very ability, was more than hesitating, he was struggling.

He had stood beside that crib for hours, staring down at Kristina Davis' tiny features then back at the photo of his mother again and again. Ric knew he was right. Kristina was Sonny's daughter. He knew it in his gut. But he wanted to know for sure.

His curiosity had led Ric to slip out of the room, leaving mother and daughter both sleeping soundly, Alexis' case file tucked under his arm. A quick scan of the file reminded him of who Alexis' obstetrician had been, and Ric made a beeline toward the hospital directory. Armed with the proper floor and suite number, he hopped on the elevator, and then walked casually toward Dr. Meadows' office.

It was late and there was little chance someone would see him, but Ric was cautious anyway. Using skills he'd honed in his days working for Luis Alcazar, he picked the lock on the doctor's door in under 40 seconds, and then he slipped inside. Ric used the small light on the end of his key chain to navigate his way to the file cabinet. Another quick motion or two with his tools had the drawer jimmied open, and he brought the tiny L.E.D. bulb toward the rack of folders. The "D's" were easy enough to find. Alexis Davis' file sat four patients back in the section.

Ric pulled the folder free and sat it atop the cabinet. He scanned its contents quickly, knowing the longer he stayed in the office, the greater a chance of discovery by a passing orderly or a cleaning crew attendant. Nothing immediately jumped out at Ric to confirm his gut feeling. Ned Ashton's name was listed everywhere it should have been, there was no mention of any other potential father. The file seemed to confirm the story the world had been told. Then he flipped to 'Ned's' medical history. It was all Ric needed to see to know that he was right.

Kristina was Sonny's daughter.

Ric quickly returned the file and made a careful exit of the office. He then wandered out to his car, but instead of driving off somewhere, he sat in the driver's seat staring at nothing in particular.

To say he'd been sent into a tailspin by his realization was an understatement. Suddenly, so much that he'd been unclear about made perfect sense. Ric had never fully understood why Alexis had walked out of Sonny's life prior to her sister's death. If anything, his research into his brother's life had told him that unseating Alexis as Sonny's attorney was going to be next to impossible. He had been so pleased to come to town and find the relationship fractured, that he hadn't spent much time trying to figure out why it had happened.

"Why" was very clear now, however. Sonny and Alexis had become lovers, and then Sonny had left her and gone back to Carly. As that kernel of knowledge took root in his brain, Ric marveled yet again at how little he understood his brother. How did a man forge a relationship with a real woman like Alexis Davis and then go back to a woman/child like Carly?

That wasn't his problem, though. What to do with this new piece of information was. Only no sooner had he thought those words than some part of Ric screamed out "Kristina isn't a piece of information."

He could imagine it... what it would do to Sonny to have Ric drop this bombshell in his lap. He could see the expression of disbelief on his brother's face melting away as common sense took hold. Why else would his medical records be in this file labeled with Ned Ashton's name? The passage of shock and outrage and betrayal and disappointment through his eyes would be a thing to behold.

There was no doubting the impact it would have. Sonny would spiral out of control, his sense of entitlement overruling any sense and logic he might have. He'd go after Alexis, and she would counterattack to protect Kristina, and the war would push Sonny to the point of madness. He would be obsessed with getting his hands on his daughter... and Ric would have nothing but time to move in and dismantle the rest of his brother's world one piece at a time. It was an amazing opportunity for revenge.

There was just one problem... Alexis and Kristina. He had promised to help reunite them. Now was he supposed to just forget that promise and throw them from one war into another?

Ric had been startled to realize he'd spent the better part of the night sitting there in his car contemplating that very question. For years, nothing had come between him and thoughts of his brother's destruction, not even Liz. Now he was actually considering passing up a golden opportunity to wound Sonny because of a promise to a woman he barely knew and a baby who, it turned out, was his niece.

Returning home, Ric climbed into a hot shower, the spray running over his body as he tried to analyze this like an attorney or a businessman and not as the clearly biased party he was. If he wanted to use this revelation to hurt, Sonny, it had to be done to maximum effect. That meant making the situation as painful for Sonny as possible. That meant not going through with helping Alexis get the baby back. Nothing would anger Sonny more than finding out he'd been lied to than knowing the Quartermaines had his child.

Through no machinations of his younger brother's doing, the perfect situation to torture Sonny Corinthos to the brink of insanity had been created. Ric couldn't help but marvel at it. But every time he thought about what it would feel like to wield his new sword against his brother, he thought about the way Alexis looked at her daughter. The vision put a knot of self-loathing into his stomach.

Still undecided on what he was going to do, Ric dressed and drove to the airport. He would go through with his plans for the day. There was time left to make his decision. A quick message to Dara, which began with "let Alexis know..." updated her on the generalities of his intentions and, hopefully, would keep Alexis from wondering where he was. Right now, he couldn't talk to her.

He made his final phone call before boarding the airplane. The recipient agreed to meet with him when he said the topics of discussion were Ned Ashton and child custody. Four hours later, he was at the front door of the apartment. He knocked, and an older woman with thick, black hair answered, a warm smile on her face.

"Well, hello there, young man, and who are you?"

"I'm... I'm Ric Lansing," he stated. "I have an appointment with Lois Cerullo."

"Oh, yeah, she told me she had company coming. I'm Gloria Cerullo, her mother. Come on in."

The woman ushered him inside, and Ric found himself in a place that could truly be called a home. It was tasteful and well kept, but it was also filled with years worth of good times and happy memories. You could feel the aura of it from the moment you walked inside.

"Why don't you have a seat, and I'll let her know you're here. Can I get you some coffee?"

Ric was busy scanning the rows of photographs on the walls, the handmade keepsakes from children and grandchildren that would have almost been clutter except they were all carefully placed, all displayed so each memento got the attention it deserved. The sound of his hostess' voice had startled him from his exploration, and Ric moved his gaze to Mrs. Cerullo.

"No, thank you, I'm fine."

"Okay, then, you just make yourself comfortable. Lois will be out in a minute."

The older woman made her exit, and Ric walked around a small piano covered with still more family photos and sat down on the sofa. He had barely settled against the pillows when a younger, funkier version of the woman he'd already met came into the room, hand extended.

"Mr. Lansing, I'm Lois Cerullo."

Ric stood and took the offered hand, shaking it. "Thank you for seeing me. I appreciate it."

Something about the way the woman was looking at him, her scrutiny, the squint of her eyes, told Ric he was being surveyed and read very carefully. He cleared his throat and sat back down as Lois took a seat across from him.

"Yeah, well, you certainly caught my interest, what, with you mentioning Ned and child custody. For his sake, it better not have anything to do with custody of my kid."

"No, ma'am, this isn't about your daughter. Brooke Lynn, right?" Ric assured her, and Lois smiled a bit, but kept her guarded edge.

"Yep, that's my baby girl."

"Well, I'm here on behalf of another mother, actually. I'm here about Alexis Davis and her daughter Kristina."

Ric watched as she nodded knowingly. "I, uh, I heard the Qs got the little honey away from her. She's trying to get her back?"

"The Quartermaines are trying to make it so Alexis has almost no contact with her daughter at all. Ned's even got Skye Quartermaine playing mommy to Alexis' child."

"Skye," Lois questioned, "the long lost daughter?"

"Only she's not, as it turns out." Ric caught Lois up on the latest installment in the Quartermaines legacy of illegitimate children and watched as she rolled her eyes.

"Why am I not surprised?" Lois quipped to which Ric had a quick response.

"Maybe because you know how insane that family is."

"Yeah, I do." Lois agreed. "Look, Mr. Lansing, I gotta ask, I mean, I read about what happened with Alexis and the whole split personality thing. Are you sure that baby Kristina's gonna be safe with her?"

"Well, we're not asking the court to give full custody back to Alexis," Ric explained. "We're simply asking them to give her brother temporary custody. Ms. Cerullo, all Alexis wants is to know her daughter is with people who aren't trying to keep them apart."

"Ned's really doin' that?" she asked, disappointment in her voice.

"Yeah, he's really doing that."

Ric and Lois had talked for another two hours. He could sense how upset she was by the things she revealed to him, and when the conversation was over, he had her promise to be in Port Charles tomorrow for the hearing.

"Oh, hold on, let me grab my address book so I can get all your information down," Lois chimed, before heading down the hallway. Ric smiled as she left. He had a hard time imagining a woman like Lois Cerullo ever looking twice at Ned Ashton. Then again, he didn't see why Alexis had ever spared him a glance, either.

Alexis... her name returned to his private thoughts and now that, for the moment, he wasn't acting as he lawyer, Ric felt himself returning to his inner battle. Help her or use her? He still wasn't sure.

In an effort to distract himself, Ric looked for something else to focus on. He spied the array of photos on the piano and headed that direction. What awaited him were more snippets of the Cerullos life caught on film. A photo of Mrs. Cerullo and a man he assumed was her husband with Lois and a little girl. Group photos from various family events over the years--vacations, birthdays, holidays. It looked like life here in the mid-sized apartment had been good to this family.

He was studying the photos so intensely that he didn't notice Lois' mother return to the room. She was smiling at his reaction to the photos and was about to comment on them when she saw his eyes suddenly change. The nearly whimsical quality that had been there vanished, and instead he looked as if he'd been hit with something... something shocking and painful. Gloria moved so she could see over his shoulder. If her guess was right, he was looking at a photograph taken at Coney Island more than 30 years ago. It was a picture of she and Adella with all of their boys.

"Is something wrong?" she asked, unsure why that photo would have struck him so.

Ric's throat was so tight, he could barely breathe. At first, he'd be certain he must have imagined the likeness, but then he looked closer and knew that, in fact, he was looking at a picture of his mother as a young a woman. Of course he'd known Sonny had grown up in this neighborhood. But he'd never imagined he would stumble onto something or rather a group of somebody's who had known them.

"You... you knew Adella Woods?" he finally managed.

The question jolted Gloria. How could this young man know Adella? The world certainly wasn't that small. And why was he so affected by seeing this picture of young, smiling Adella? It made no sense unless...

"What did you say your name was?" Gloria asked.

"Lansing..." Ric answered, unable to tear his eyes away from the photo. "Ric Lansing."

The name set off bells in Gloria's memory, and she put her hand lightly on Ric's shoulder. "Your father was Trevor Lansing?"

Ric pivoted instantly, his body and eyes turning toward Gloria.

"You knew my father?"

"No," Gloria said, fighting back what was becoming an overwhelming rush of emotion. "But I... I knew your mother, very well. You are him, aren't you, Adella's baby boy?"

Lois returned, address book in hand, and was about to speak when she froze in her tracks at the sight in front of her. Her visitor, Ric Lansing, looked as if he were going to cry, and her mother's hand was resting on his cheek.

*****

The bailiff was just closing the doors when Ric walked into the courtroom. He saw Alexis sigh with relief at his appearance, and a twinge of guilt tugged at his heart. Moving quickly, he made his way to their table, where Stefan was also now seated. For hours, he had vacillated between using the truth of Kristina's paternity or honoring his promise. He had never expected an old photograph and a shocked moment of recognition from a stranger to play into his decision, but it had, and Ric was certain now that whatever his feelings for his brother, he was making the only choice he could make and live with.

"Trust me," Ric whispered to Alexis just as the court was called to order. She nodded and they turned to toward the bench and watched Judge Samuels take his seat. The judge dispensed quickly with the introductory matters, and then called on Dara to address the court.

"Your honor, we are here to request the court reconsider temporary custody in the matter of Kristina Davis, removing her from the care of the Quartermaines, specifically Edward Quartermaine and Ned Ashton, because they are not providing a stable, safe or emotionally nurturing home for the minor child. We recommend placement with the infant's maternal uncle, Stefan Cassadine."

"Very well," Judge Samuels responded. "Mr. Winslow, I assume you have issues with this?"

Edward and Ned's attorney stood and now took his turn with the judge.

"Your honor, we feel this is yet another desperate attempt by a very mentally ill woman to try and gain more contact with her daughter. Mr. Quartermaine and Mr. Ashton have serious doubts about Mr. Cassadine's ability to care for this child, and about his ability to control Ms. Davis' access to her."

Judge Samuels nodded and was about to speak when the doors to the courtroom flew open, and Scott Baldwin stormed in. He walked to the small gate keeping him out of the main theater.

"Judge Samuels," he called out, his acidic tone accompanying a smug glance at Alexis, "I'd like to address the court on this matter."

Ric held his breath. He had anticipated Baldwin pulling something like this. He was armed and ready with some rather telling information about Alexis' nemesis were it needed. It was exactly the type of "fact gathering" Ric knew Dara Jensen would have scoffed at, but that he was suited for. Thankfully, he'd already compiled quite the dossier on Baldwin, so he'd only had to secure the details he wanted to use in this particular instance. What Ric had no way of knowing was that Samuels, who had been friends with Lee Baldwin for years, was very well versed in Scott Baldwin's tactics.

"Mr. Baldwin, have you developed some expertise in family court law that I'm not aware of?" Judge Samuels asked, and Scott shook his head.

"No, your honor, I am, however, an expert in the erratic and violent behavior Ms. Davis..."

"Thank you, Mr. Baldwin," Samuels said, stopping the D.A. dead in his tracks, "but I believe you've had your crack at that case. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have family court business to conduct."

"Your honor..."

"Good day, Mr. Baldwin."

The judge's tone left no doubt that Scott had worn out any welcome he'd entered with. He nearly growled in frustration as he turned and stormed out of the room. Everyone except for Edward and Ned smirked as he made his exit.

"Now that we're finished with that, Ms. Jensen, I assume you have some witnesses to speak on behalf of your petition."

Dara started by calling Bobbie to the stand. The former Mrs. Cassadine made no bones about her bad feelings toward her marriage, but made it clear that she held Nikolas in high regard and felt that Stefan and had provided a stable and safe upbringing for his nephew. Nikolas was also questioned, speaking briefly on the matter of how Stefan had shielded him from the dangers Dara knew the Quartermaines would bring up, Helena and the Spencer/Cassadine war. Then it was time for Cameron to take the stand.

"Dr. Lewis," Dara began, "can you please update the court on Ms. Davis' condition?"

"Certainly. Ms. Davis has made very good progress. The Kristina personality has ceased to emerge even in highly stressful situations," Cameron stated confidently, and his eyes darted toward an appreciative Alexis.

"Is she cured?"

"Well, I think Ms. Davis understands she has some more work left to do, but she's certainly on the road to recovery."

Dara nodded, then crossed her arms and stepped closer to the witness box. "Can you tell us, doctor, how Ms. Davis is handling the enforced court separation from her daughter?"

Cameron cleared his throat as he sought the exact right words to use. "I'd say she's handled better than I thought she was."

"Can you explain that doctor?" Dara asked.

"I thought Ms. Davis was exhibiting some paranoia where her daughter was concerned. She was convinced the Quartermaines were willing to do just about anything to keep her away from the child. She also tried to convince me that the child was in some danger being with her father's family."

"Did something happen to change your opinion, to make you think this was more than paranoia?"

"Several things," Cameron stated. "First of all, in three separate incidents since the Quartermaines have been caring for Kristina, the child has been in danger--a fire, a kidnapping and now this latest incident with the car accident. It also became clear during several visits to the Quartermaines, and I'm basing this on statements I heard uttered directly from Edward Quartermaine, that the family was determined to try and cut Kristina's mother out of her life if at all possible."

Winslow objected, but the Judge overruled the objection and allowed Dara's questioning to continue based on Cameron's expertise as a psychiatrist and his ability to evaluate the interactions happening around Kristina.

"Have you had specific concerns about any of the people who have frequent contact with Kristina?"

Cameron nodded. "Yes, specifically Skye Quartermaine, who has actively tried to take on the role of mother figure to Kristina. She has made several attempts to criticize Ms. Davis in front of the child's father and myself. There have also been unreasonable constraints put on Ms. Davis' court-ordered visits. She's berated for being a few minutes late by various family members when it's certainly an understandable and human occurrence."

Alexis could barely believe her ears. She had honestly started to think that Cameron wasn't even registering the negative things being said about her day in and day out at the Quartermaines. It made her feel a little better to know he had taken notice, even if he hadn't let her know it before now.

"What effect do you think this additional stress is having on Ms. Davis' recovery and on her daughter, Dr. Lewis?"

The courtroom occupants waited as Cameron again thought through his answer before responding. "I think Ms. Davis has had to spend every free moment she hasn't spent in therapy fighting for contact with her child and that she's done so because it is basic common sense that a mother and infant spending time together during their first year is crucial to that child's emotional well-being. I think that Kristina and her mother would only benefit from more consistent, unimpeded contact with one another."

Dara returned to her seat and Winslow began to cross-examine Cameron. Alexis could tell from the approach the lawyer was taking that Ned had cautioned him about pushing too hard. Several questioned were aimed at trying to imply bias in Cameron's relationship to her, but all in all, Alexis felt that her friend had done well by her.

Next up was Stefan. His time on the stand was surprisingly brief given he was the actual petitioner, but Winslow had come off looking small and snarky when he tried to throw dirt at Stefan by bringing up the many past accusations Stefan had dealt with, such as being accused of killing Katherine Bell and Luke Spencer, especially when Dara's objections included mention of the fact that both of the aforementioned "victims" had turned up alive and well and Stefan had been cleared of all suspicion.

Judge Samuels was being hit with chapter and verse on the history of the dirty laundry in the Quartermaine and Cassadine families, but Ric was ready to play his biggest card. He leaned over and said to Dara, "I'll take it from here."

The judge asked if the Cassadine petitioners had any additional witnesses to call. Ric rose, straightened out his suit jacket and addressed the bench.

"Yes, your honor, I'd like to call Lois Cerullo to the stand."

The look on Ned's face as his former wife's name was called was one of those priceless moments that no one watching would ever forget. His eyes never left her as the doors opened and Lois strolled in, flanked by her mother Gloria. The elder Cerullo woman sat down behind Ric in the gallery as Lois made her way to the stand. Ric glanced down and caught Alexis looking at him with a bit of concern. He put his hand on her shoulder, squeezing reassuringly before he stepped toward Lois.

"Ms. Cerullo, thank you for coming today. You were married to Mr. Ashton, were you not?"

"Yes, I was. Twice, actually."

"Do the two of you have any children?"

"We have a daughter," Lois stated. "Her name is Brooke Lynn."

"Do you and your daughter reside in Port Charles?"

"No, we live in Brooklyn."

Ric stepped closer to Lois before he asked his next question. "How many times would you say Mr. Ashton has been to Brooklyn over the last year to see your daughter?"

Lois glanced toward Ned and saw the nearly pleading look on his face. Part of her wanted to try and defend him, but she was so disgusted with him and the way he was treating their child and what he was trying to do to Alexis'.

"He hasn't. Ned hasn't seen Brooklyn at all this year."

"Oh," Ric said, nodding, "what about the year before that?"

"He came to see her twice," Lois stated.

"Twice a month, twice every six months?" Ric led, and Lois shook her head.

"No, twice in the year."

"I see. Well, what about visits to Port Charles? How often does Brooke Lynn come to Port Charles to visit her father?"

Edward glared at Lois and the old man's hatefulness simply reminded Lois of all the reasons the next answer she would give were so true.

"She doesn't. I won't allow Brooke to come here."

Ric fought hard not to smile as he saw the judge's full attention lock onto Lois. "Why is that, Ms. Cerullo?"

"The Quartermaines..." Lois began, "You know, the docs aren't so bad, and Lila, she's a living doll, but the rest of them, even Ned... they like to hurt each other. They enjoy it. They live to show each other up and one-up this one and that one. I don't want my daughter to be a part of that. No child should be forced to live through that."

It was obvious that Lois' words had hit home... with the judge, with the onlookers and definitely with Ned. He lowered his head, unable to even look Lois in the eyes as his attorney stood to try and undo some of the damage her statements were sure to have inflicted.

Ned and Edward both testified on their own behalf, but no other Quartermaine took the stand. Ric had both men withering under the intensity of his questioning, and neither came off looking very good. Ned glared at Alexis from the witness stand when Ric asked him, exactly, "Why do you think it's all right for Kristina to be in your family's home and yet not your older daughter?"

"That was her mother's choice," Ned replied in a clipped tone.

"And it's irrelevant that Kristina's mother feels so strongly about her being in that same house?"

"No, I suppose it isn't," Ned answered through tightly gritted teeth.

The Quartermaines had gotten their own psychiatrist to testify as to the "stability" of the Quartermaine home, and she took the stand right after Ned. The woman worked at Mercy and clearly didn't know the family well. Ric had her stammering three questions into his cross. With the witness statements concluded, Judge Samuels prepared to hand down his ruling.

"It is clear that Kristina Davis is a well-loved child. That's a nice thing to see, even given the nature of these proceedings. But we have a great deal of ground to cover here, so I'm going to get started."

The judge shifted through his notes and Alexis fought not to begin hyperventilating. Stefan reached down and took hold of one of her hands, attempting to steady her. Much to her surprise, Ric took her other hand, and Alexis clutched his tightly in return.

"First of all, this court finds that due consideration to the best interests of Kristina Davis was not given when the initial custody decision was made. A brief investigation by any number of individuals could have made clear the longstanding animosity that Mr. Edward Quartermaine has felt toward the mother in this case, and that should have been far more important in deciding to place Kristina within any proximity to him."

Edward, of course, immediately began to shriek with outrage. He didn't know how to handle a judge he hadn't bribed. Samuels threatened to remove him from the courtroom and Edward stormed out instead, shouting about going "over your incompetent head." The judge didn't seem at all concerned.

"Mr. Ashton, I have to say that I'm feeling a great deal of concern about your lack of support for the mother/child relationship in this situation. There are several notations in the court files that Ms. Davis made formal requests that you limit contact between the child and Skye Quartermaine, that you not allow her to take Kristina off the property because of Ms. Quartermaine's history of alcoholism, and yet still you allowed this to continue. She requested more time with the child, something you could easily have spoken to Judge Farmer about given Dr. Lewis' consent, and yet you were unwilling to do so. That is not behavior that shows care for your daughter's best interest, Mr. Ashton."

Alexis gripped Ric's hand more tightly as the judge looked toward their table. Things sounded as if they were going their way, but until the judge had finished his statements, there was no telling how it would all play out. At least he had found error with Judge Farmer's initial determination. If nothing else, they had that, and they had on record that Ned was interfering in her parental relationship. Still, Alexis wanted more... she wanted her baby out of that damn house.

"Mr. Cassadine," the judge continued. "You are obviously aware of what you're going to be taking on here given you cared for your nephew from infancy to adulthood. You understand that you'll be bound by whatever terms this court sets, especially with regard to visitation by both parents, and that any violation of those terms could result in another change of custody pending Ms. Davis' custodial rights being returned?"

"I do understand that, your honor," Stefan answered. "We just want Kristina to be safe and happy and to have access to all of her family."

Judge Samuels nodded. "Understood. Therefore it is the determination of this court that Stefan Cassadine be granted full temporary custody of Kristina Davis until such time as Alexis Davis has completed her court mandated therapy and can be evaluated as to fitness to resume full-time care of the child."

Ric glanced toward Alexis and saw tears streaming down her cheeks. Nothing else the judge said now could affect her nearly so much as knowing that her daughter was going to be in the hands of someone who cared about both mother and child.

"Mr. Ashton," the Judge said, drawing Ned's disappointed eyes squarely to him, "You will have regular visitation with Kristina, one morning and one evening period of six hours, days to be determined by you and Mr. Cassadine, and one full weekend day, however, the child will not be allowed onto the property known as the Quartermaine estate until such time as this court feels attempts to interfere in this custody agreement have ended, and you will not allow Skye Quartermaine to have any contact with this child for the foreseeable future unless that contact is approved by Ms. Davis. Is that clear, Mr. Ashton?"

Ned nodded, utterly defeated. He glanced at Lois and, to his surprise, saw a hint of sympathy there. Gloria was looking at him with scolding eyes, but she, too, seemed to at least have a little compassion for what was happening.

"Ms. Davis..."

Alexis took a deep breath and prepared herself. Whatever the judge says, she stated mentally, she'll be with Stefan. That's all you need to concentrate on.

"Ms. Davis, this court obviously continues to have some reservations about your ability to function as sole parent to your daughter. I hope you took what your doctor said to heart here today and will devote even more time to your therapy and your recovery now that this particular situation is at an end."

"I will, your honor, I promise." As she finished speaking, Alexis felt Ric squeeze her hand again. She glanced toward him quickly, then looked back at the judge.

"That all being said, it is clear to this court that your main priority is as it should be with any parent, and that is the well-being and happiness of your child. I think a woman stable enough to recognize a threat to that and strong enough to mount a defense against it has certainly proven she's ready for a more active role in her daughter's life. You are thereby granted unlimited visitation with Kristina as long as it occurs under the supervision of Mr. Cassadine or those named by him as proxies in the household. And, Ms. Davis..."

The words "unlimited visitation" were still ringing in Alexis' ears when she heard the judge call her name again. She forced herself to focus.

"Yes, sir."

"If you wanted to temporarily relocate to your brother's residence, this court wouldn't have a problem with that. The transfer of custody is to take place no later than 7:00 p.m. tonight, are we all clear?"

The gathered and interested parties all stated that they were, and the judge dismissed the hearing. The moment he had stepped out of the room, Alexis turned to her brother, and threw her arms around him.

"Thank you so much for doing this."

The intense display of affection wasn't typical for them, certainly not in public, but Stefan returned the embrace as strongly as it was given him.

"It was my pleasure, Little One," he whispered, and Alexis fought back tears as the endearment reached her ear.

Releasing her brother, Alexis then turned to Dara and Ric. She and Dara exchanged a quick handshake, and then Dara rushed off to arrange for Mac to stand by at the Quartermaines for the custody exchange "just in case." Stefan and Nikolas headed home to finish their preparations with the staff for the new family arrival. Alexis stood alone near the chairs they had just occupied with Ric.

"I don't know what to say."

Ric shrugged and shook his head slightly. "You don't have to say anything. I just put something right that had been wrong, that's all."

"You helped me find the strength in myself that I needed to fight for my daughter," Alexis said, her eyes sparkling as she smiled. "That's a very big deal, and I don't know how to say thank you for that."

"Just take care of that little girl," Ric replied, his eyes darting to the back of the courtroom as he spoke. Alexis stepped toward him, and though he was expecting her hand to be offered, Ric was surprised by the feel of her arms wrapping around him in a strong, heartfelt embrace.

"I will. Thank you."

Alexis stepped back and the two locked eyes for a moment, the silence between them filled with two declarations. His was "I won't you let down." Hers was "I won't forget this."

Finally, Ric pulled his eyes from hers and nodded toward the clock. "I think you have an important date to keep."

She rewarded him with one last smile before turning and heading out to meet up with her brother so they could reclaim Kristina. Alexis was so distracted, she didn't notice Lois' mother standing in the back corner of the courtroom waiting for them to finish talking. Now that Ric was alone, Gloria walked toward him.

"That was quite a thing you just did."

Ric shook his head just as he'd done with Alexis. "I'm just a lawyer working a case."

"Oh, please," Gloria said in that distinctly motherly tone that even Ric, who hadn't had a mother, could recognize as universal. "I know real care and concern when I see it, young man, and you cared about what happened to that mother and that child."

"Alexis would do anything for her daughter. She's special."

"The baby or the mother?" Gloria asked, her eyebrow cocked just so. Ric smiled and shrugged. Met with his silence, Gloria offered him her arm. "Come on, it's time for us to have that talk."

"Mrs. Cerullo..." Ric began, ready to argue. It had seemed like a good idea at the time, back in Brooklyn, back when she had insisted on coming with Lois to Port Charles, but now...

"It's time, Ric. It's time for you to know about your mother... and about what she went through when she decided to give you up."

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