When they pulled into the parking lot at General Hospital, the bad feeling Johnny had been doing battle with since Sonny's earlier order began to get stronger. Something about him looking for Ms. Davis felt off, almost dangerous... like a tightrope being pulled too taut and left poised for disaster. The gnawing sensation prompted Johnny to let himself fall a bit behind as Max followed Sonny into the hospital. Once they were out of sight, the guard pulled out his cell phone and hit speed dial nine.

"Yeah."

"Zander, it's Johnny."

"Hey, man, what's up?"

Johnny shook his head even as he spoke. "I'm not sure, but you might want to get over to GH pretty quick. Sonny's looking for Ms. Davis."

"What?" Zander's voice suddenly filled with panic. "Why's he looking for Alexis?"

"I don't know, but he was snappy all morning and now he's looking for her, so you might wanna..."

"I'm on my way."

The other end of the line went dead and Johnny turned his phone off before returning it to his pocket. Moving quickly, he made his way into the main lobby. He saw Ms. Davis hanging up her own cell just as Sonny approached her. From the angle where he stood, he could also see the color drain completely from her face when she heard her former client's voice call her name. The bad feeling in Johnny's stomach got worse at the sight. Settling into a nearby corner, he waited and hoped he his instincts were off.

"Look, um, do you have a minute?" Sonny asked. "I need to talk to you. It's important."

Alexis felt her stomach liquefy as she looked at him. Her heart suddenly felt like it was going to explode and her hands would have been visibly shaking were they not balled into fists in her pocket. What in God's name did he want?

"Sonny, I..."

"Alexis, just a few minutes, okay?"

She somehow managed to nod her head despite the tension in her neck and shoulders. Mind reeling, Alexis followed Sonny a few steps to his left so they were more in the waiting area alcove than they were in the walkway.

'Oh, God, Ric told him,' she thought. Instantly, something else inside her said, no, he didn't... he promised you. Alexis wanted to believe the second voice over the first, but so many people had let her down. Had her worst fears come true this quickly? 'No,' the voice told her again... Ric had not betrayed her. He hadn't. But that didn't mean Sonny couldn't somehow have found out.

"I, uh, I heard you got your daughter back."

Alexis bit the inside of her cheek. Kristina... he was talking to her about Kristina. Her head felt like it was beginning to swim under the weight of what might be happening right now, but somehow she managed to get coherent words out of her mouth.

"Away from the Quartermaines. I... I got her away from them. She's still not... I mean, Stefan has custody of her."

Sonny nodded. "Right, but you can see her now without anyone bothering you, right? Dara must've done pretty good."

Drawing in a deep breath, Alexis forced herself to try to evaluate the situation as something other than the terrified mother she was. Sonny wasn't known for his self control. [I]If[/I] he knew about Kristina being his, she'd know something. Just like she'd known that day after the debate, after he'd come to her rescue and she'd gone to tell him that it changed nothing. The slight edge of menace, the way he'd almost too politely asked her if there was anything else she wanted to tell him. Denial had kept her from seeing the truth that day, but today, looking for those same signs, she saw nothing. He was worried about something, on edge, but he wasn't angry with her.

He didn't know.

"I, uh, I have somewhere I need to be," she said feeling a bit more confident. "What was it you needed to talk to me about?"

"I noticed in the paper that... well, I noticed you had some help with the case."

Now she understood. He wanted to know about her connection to Ric. Alexis felt relief flood through her even as she kept her guard up. The idea of him coming to ask about this didn't sit well with her either.

"You mean did your brother work as one of my attorneys? Yes, he did. He did a fine job for us."

Sonny looked away from her and rubbed his hand against the back of his neck. She knew that signal from days of old. He knew she wasn't going to like what he had to say, but he was going to say it anyway.

"You know, um, Ric, he... he has an agenda, Alexis. He wants to ruin me and anything connected to me."

"I know he came to town with that intention," she confirmed, "but he's ready to move on with his life."

"Right," Sonny said, a snicker following. "And I'm gonna get Mac Scorpio's job."

She was annoyed instantly. His arrogance had always served to anger her twice as much as it sometimes attracted her, and clearly, that was the same as it had always been. "Oh, I see, no one's allowed to change, is that it, Sonny? He can't get sick of trying to get revenge on you, he can't learn from his mistakes?"

"No, he can't!" Sonny's raised voice startled him slightly, and Alexis noticed him looking around to see if anyone had heard them. When he was sure they hadn't garnered any unwanted attention, he continued, his voice back to normal.

"Ric's whole life has been about getting back at me for something he thinks I did to him and to our mother. And no, I don't think he can change or learn from mistakes, 'cause he keeps on making them. He messed with my wife, he got involved in my business and now..."

His hand moved, sweeping toward her in a gesture that seemed to complete his unfinished sentence with "you." Alexis looked at him quizzically.

"How exactly is Ric helping [I]me[/I] about you?"

"Oh, come on, Alexis. You know everything about my..." Sonny looked around again and lowered his voice cautiously... "my legit businesses. He hasn't gone after those yet, now he wants to, and you're his best source of information."

Over the months since their relationship had begun to disintegrate, Sonny had said dozens of hurtful things to her and she to him. But somehow his last comment stung more deeply than all the rest, perhaps because before, he had been questioning her heart, but now... now he was questioning her mind.

"Tell me, Sonny, at what point did you decide that I had gone to bed and woken up stupid?"

His eyes widened at her question. "What?"

"You heard me," she said, making no attempt to hide her growing anger. "What in the world makes you think that even if you were right, which you're not, but even if you were, that I would reveal confidential information to anyone?"

"It's not as if you and I are on great terms," Sonny answered, sounding a bit defensive.

"No, we're not," Alexis agreed. "But I didn't lose my ethics just because I had my eyes opened to who you were."

From where he was hidden, Johnny saw the way whatever Ms. Davis had said hit Sonny square in the gut. His boss' face clouded over, and as usual, when he was hurt, he lashed out. The words were loud enough for the bodyguard to hear them where he stood.

"Well, I'm not sure what to think about you anymore, Alexis. You've been, uh, a little desperate as of late, you know? You even came to me for help, a man you supposedly hate and want nothing to do with."

No doubt Sonny expected her to fire off a quick retort or to turn and storm off, but she did neither. Alexis instead smiled at him, the code broken, the real reason for Sonny's visit totally evident.

"And that's what this is really about, isn't it? I came to you for help and you pushed me away. But your brother, who you hate, did help me, and that has to be about you, right?"

"It is about me!" Sonny insisted.

"No," Alexis answered, her head shaking emphatically. "No, it's about Ric knowing what it's like to grow up without a mother and him not wanting to see that happen to another child."

Johnny noticed the nurses and interns passing by trying not to look at the argument that was now obvious to everyone. The participants had stopped caring who noticed. He'd feared he might have to go and try to step in if Sonny got any more aggressive, but then Johnny spied Zander strolling in through the south entrance. The two men locked eyes, and a nod of the guard's head accompanied by Alexis' next words told the younger man where to go.

"For your information," Alexis stated, "he also did it to impress me because he wants to work for my family. He did it to prove to me that he deserves the chance I'm going to give him. So no, Sonny, I hate to disappoint you, but Ric helping me wasn't about you, it was about me and him, period."

"You and him?" Sonny said, nearly growling.

"Hey," Zander interjected as he physically walked between these two people who had once acted as surrogate parents to him. He took a firm position beside Alexis.

"Everything okay here?"

"Zander, Alexis and I are talking--"

"No, Zander," Alexis interrupted, "Sonny and I are done talking. Would you mind walking me to my car?"

"'Course not. Let's go."

"Alexis..." Sonny said, his hand rising as if he meant to put it on her arm to stop her. He didn't, though, when she gave him a look that said to back off.

"We're done with this conversation, Sonny. You have a problem with your brother, it's your problem. Leave me out of it."

Zander took Alexis' arm and led her away as Johnny watched a scowl come over his employer's face. Sonny was not happy, and Johnny knew that no matter what Ms. Davis had said, the conversation was far from over. He was about to step out and head toward his boss when Sonny eyed him and stalked over.

"Find Sal. I want to know everywhere my brother's been lately. Everywhere."

Johnny nodded as Sonny stomped past him, Max on his heels. The bad feeling that had plagued Johnny all day didn't ease at all as they took their leave from the hospital. If anything, he sensed things were only going to get worse. Ms. Davis and Sonny had been the best of friends, but he sensed they could be bitter, dangerous enemies if they kept pushing each other. He didn't want to see that for either of them.

*****

When Ric called the Grille to place his to-go order, a sudden thought had occurred to him as he spoke to the assistant hostess.

"Ms. Davis orders this a lot?"

"Alexis Davis? Yes, she does," the woman offered. "Extra mushrooms, double mashed potatoes."

He couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, then give me two just like that."

After picking up the food, he headed to the docks and the Cassadine launch. He'd already called Mrs. Cerullo and found out she and Lois had postponed leaving until the last shuttle, so he promised to make it by before they left, even offering a ride to the airport. After a little fussing from the woman who was already giving him a sense of what it felt like to have a Brooklyn-esque mother, Ric hung up the phone. Before he could get it into his pocket, his cell rang. A jest about mushrooms and potatoes was forming in his mind when Ric's eyes glanced at the caller I.D. His smile faded as he realized the female calling him was not the one he was excitedly heading to see.

"Now's not a good time," he said, knowing it could be a mistake to ignore her.

"Too bad," Faith said. "We need to talk."

"Not like this... not on phones. I'll come by and see you."

"When?"

Ric glanced around while he fumbled for an answer. He wanted to say "never," but Faith was dangerous when she was angry, and that response would surely make her angry.

"Look, I have a meeting that will probably run late. I'll come by tomorrow."

"No good," the demanding blonde said. "Tonight."

"Tomorrow."

"Tonight. 8:00 in my hotel suite. Be here."

"Tomorrow, Faith. I'll bring you breakfast. Now I gotta go. Bye."

Ric hung up before Faith could utter another word. For extra insurance, he turned the phone completely off. The only person he wanted to talk to would be meeting him in a little while.

As he climbed aboard the launch and the pilot set off, Ric determined to just let go of his worry about Faith and the sadness he'd gone through this morning when Liz had made it clear she still suspected the very worst of him. He knew had no right to really expect otherwise, but he had hoped... yet even though he knew she loved him, clearly it wasn't the kind of love that could forgive and move on. He would always be the man who had let her down. Ric knew he could do a million good works and yet always, she would wonder when he would make another mistake. It wasn't a way for either of them to live.

Time to move on, he thought, in more ways than one. He'd already been prepared to accept this new career challenge the Cassadine position might put before him. Now he knew it was more than that... his talks with Mrs. Cerullo, what had happened regarding Alexis and Kristina... Ric knew he was remaking his life. There were treacherous loose ends to tie up from his old existence, starting with Faith, but he would handle them. In fact, he was excited about doing so.

Somehow, without him knowing it was even possible, Ric had tired of the life he'd known. He was sick of thinking about Sonny, tired of plotting and he was definitely worn out with having no one he could trust 100% with everything. And now it was entirely possible that Alexis had given him a way to leave all of that behind. Working for her meant staying away from Sonny, which meant an end to his plotting, and now that he shared such an intensely important secret with the lady lawyer, trust was something he was going to have to give and earn until it was unquestioned.

Life was about to get very interesting... and he couldn't wait to see what was going to happen next.

*****

"Will there be anything else, Mr. Cassadine?"

Stefan shook his head slightly at the waiter, and the young man made his way toward the kitchen. Turning his eyes back to the report in front of him, Stefan sighed and lifted his coffee cup to his lips as he perused the continuing bad news. If his estimates were correct, at least half a dozen vessels would have to be sold off in the coming months for them to keep the shipping corporation afloat at all. Several other companies had been band-aided with quick fixes of cash shifted from one to the other, but clearly, a major change in strategy was due.

He was not at all as confident as his sister that Ric Lansing was the person to give them the new perspective they obviously needed, but the man had delivered on his promise to help them pry Kristina away from the vapid Quartermaines, and he had engendered a great deal of good will with Alexis. That wasn't easy to do, especially after the year of betrayals his sibling had endured. That she was letting anyone in shocked him, and perhaps it was the idea of that that was making him more hesitant where Lansing was concerned.

The plain truth was, Alexis did not need any more complications in her life, and Ric had the potential to be that. The man was charming, handsome, well-educated... on many levels, exactly the kind of man he'd have hoped would wander into his sister's sphere and draw her out a bit from the protective shell she'd withdrawn into after Kristina's birth. But this man was also Sonny Corinthos' brother... and Stefan could sense the trouble that could come for her if that man got anywhere near Alexis' life again. He had already nearly destroyed her once... and as her brother, Stefan was determined the mobster would not get a second chance.

Still, given how long he had wanted Alexis to return to the family fold and work with him and Nikolas, he wasn't about to deny her this hire when she was so positive about it. The legal side of all their coming transactions would have to be handled for all the world, at least, by another attorney, and she wanted Ric Lansing. And Stefan had approved, but he would be watching the man for any signs that trouble was in the offing.

A glance at his watch told the Cassadine patriarch that it was time for him to head to the hospital for a much-needed board meeting. At the top of the agenda was a serious discussion of hospital security given the problems Scott Baldwin and the Quartermaines had tried to cause while Kristina had been there. No doubt, Alan was going to love that, but Stefan didn't really care. The fact that he'd had to say anything about how his family was treated made it clear that certain things needed to be re-established now that he was home and back in charge of the family board seat.

After signing the check, Stefan stood and strolled toward the main entry of the Port Charles Grille. He would have missed her entirely, seated where she was at the bar, were it not for her flaming red hair. Curious, he delayed his exit long enough to wander over.

"Drowning your sorrows, Ms. Quartermaine?"

Skye turned and glared at him, her displeasure in hearing the voice that had so recently threatened her written all over her face. Her fingers danced idly around the rim of a glass filled with what looked to be a Bloody Mary.

"You want to watch?"

Scoffing, Stefan moved closer to the woman, his arms crossing as he narrowed his eyes and stared at her.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you? Is that what you're trying to imply with that tone?"

"Oh, heaven forbid," Skye said, her voice oozing sarcasm. "A Cassadine feel sorry for someone? That'll be the day."

"Yes, it would," Stefan agreed, "Much like a Quartermaine knowing the difference between a child and a bargaining chip would 'be the day.'"

"I love that little girl!" she yelled, and at the sound of her own raised voice, Skye checked herself and looked around to see how much attention she'd attracted. After a few glares that made people look away, she returned her blazing eyes to the man before her.

"I love Kristina. I was only trying to do what was best for her."

"Her mother is the one responsible for doing what's best for her," Stefan stated coolly. "And you are not her mother. As for my feeling sorry for you or whatever faintly insane notion you have that I overstepped where you're concerned, I merely returned your behavior toward my sister in kind to you. You wanted to use her mistakes against her, I threatened to do the same to you. Like versus like, Ms. Quartermaine... that's the way the world works."

A snipe about Alexis died on Skye's lips because she knew, no matter how much she hated it, that he was right. He had only promised to use her own tactics against her... and he'd done it for his family. How many times had that been her excuse for similar behavior? Still, that old adage about the truth hurting... well, they were right, it hurt. Knowing she'd been wrong didn't do much to alleviate the pain she felt at Kristina's absence, nor did it compensate for the clear dismissal she'd received from Ned the day before... an event that had sent her fleeing here to the hotel for the foreseeable future.
Skye's hand tightened on the cool cocktail before her as she thought of what it could do to ease her pain.

Stefan knew he had somewhere else to be, but the woman's audacity had him momentarily intrigued. That she even dared be haughty with him given what she'd done to Alexis was beyond outrageous, and yet clearly, she actually seemed to think she was entitled to something, some sort of understanding.

"Tell me," he began, curious as to what her response would be, "if we pretend for five minutes that you weren't completely and utterly in the wrong where my niece is concerned, and we say that you acted from true love for her... "

"I did," Skye stated emphatically.

"I'm not done speaking yet," Stefan countered. "If we say that, then tell me, do you think it does any sort of tribute to the affect loving Kristina might have had on your life for you to run to a drink the first time you can't cope with a disappointment?"

Stefan placed one hand on the bar and leaned into it. The movement brought his face within inches and his lips close enough to her ear for her to feel the intensity burning off of him as he spoke one last time.

"Biology aside, Alexis deserves Kristina because Alexis didn't roll over and die the first time someone told her they were taking Kristina away. That is the difference between you and my sister."

The cold emptiness Skye felt in place of Stefan moving away from her wasn't much different from the icy chill she'd felt while he was there. In fact, his absence might have provided more warmth. A small shudder ran through her, but even as she tightened her hold on the glass filled with liquid comfort that still sat in front of her, Skye whirled around and called out to him.

"Wait! Please."

To her surprise, he stopped and turned back to her, his eyes narrowed as he waited to see what she wanted.

"Is she... I just wanted to ask... is she all right?"

He made her wait. Skye sat there silently and Stefan seemed to be watching her, wondering how she'd had the nerve to ask him anything given his clear dislike of her. But even though he drew out the interminable pause, he did answer her.

"Kristina went to sleep last night in her mother's arms. And this morning, she gave a smile that perhaps has convinced me Nikolas is only the second most adorable child I've ever seen."

Skye knew exactly what smile he meant. And even though she feared in that moment she might never see it for herself again, she was glad to know that Kristina was happy enough to share it.

A tightening in her throat kept Skye from saying a word in response to his answer, but she nodded slightly, hoping he understood her true gratitude in him not leaving her worried sick when that's probably what he thought she deserved. He gave an almost imperceptible movement of his own head, and then he turned, taking his leave.

Long moments passed as Skye kept her hand on the drink, and yet did not take the initiative to drink it. Instead, her mind began to replay the odd encounter she had just had, and though she hated to admit it, she found in her analysis that her new Cassadine nemesis was right.

She had, in effect, given up on the better life she wanted for herself the moment something had gone wrong. Which wasn't to say that she'd suddenly decided she had some leg to stand on when it came to Kristina. Even if the courts hadn't given the baby to the Cassadines, hadn't let Alexis back into her daughter's life, the words that the tormented mother had spoken to her in the hospital had permanently opened Skye's eyes. She couldn't fix her life by stealing someone else's, no matter how much she truly loved Kristina... and she did love that little girl. But her fixation on the baby being the key to fixing her own problems had run into a wall of stark reality. Kristina wasn't hers to love.

But was this the answer, Skye wondered as she looked at the drink again. Diving back into a bottle would dull the pain she felt currently at Kristina's loss, but was it going to fix anything this time any more than it had the last half dozen times she'd tried it? She knew the obvious, logical answer, of course... but that wasn't erasing the temptation to take the immediate pleasure of the alcohol for at least a temporary escape.

And yet still, she didn't drink. A different life had been the promise she'd found in Kristina... a life where she wasn't begging for love but received it freely. The question was, did she now have enough fight in her to build on that desire to have unconditional love or was she going to wave the white flag here and now at this bar?

Skye drew her hand away from the glass and instead reached for her cell phone. She dialed a number quickly, tears forming in her eyes as she realized how much hope she was pinning on this one call.

"Hello?"

"Alan, it's... it's me. I'm sitting at the bar in the Grille with a drink in front of me, but I haven't had any of it yet."

"Skye... I've been worried sick about you," Alan said, relieved and terrified at the same time. He had known something was wrong when she didn't come back the night before. Ned, the last person to have seen her, had been no help, and Alan feared he wouldn't find her until after several shots of alcohol had ended up in her system.

"Honey, did you check into the hotel?"

"Yeah," Skye answered, fighting back tears. "I did."

"What room?"

"723."

"All right," Alan stood up behind his desk even as he continued to speak. "I want you to go to your room right now. I'm on my way. Sweetheart, listen to me, I'm on my way, okay? We'll get you through this."

"Okay."

Skye ended the call and, rallying her every bit of strength and resolve, she stood up and walked away from the bar, out of the Grille and toward the elevator. As she did so, Alan Quartermaine pulled on his jacket and bolted from his office, stopping by his secretary's desk.

"My daughter's in trouble. I'll check in when I can. And call Monica, tell her I'll call her later."

The door opened, and Stefan Cassadine entered. Alan was immediately reminded of the seemingly important meeting he'd been preparing for minutes earlier... a gathering that was now completely insignificant as far as he was concerned.

"Stefan, I'm sorry, but we'll have to reschedule. I have a family emergency."

"Alan..."

"No, I'm sorry," the harried doctor said emphatically, "But this is my child, and I need to go and take care of her."

Stefan let loose with a scowl but it did nothing to prevent Alan from flying past him out of the door. He had no doubt the "her" of the worried father's statement was the redhead he'd so recently spoken with. Stefan had spent the ride to the hospital wondering what had possessed him to soften his tone and actually answer the woman when she'd asked after his niece. She certainly had no right to the information, and yet, something had compelled him to respond.

The subject, however, was wearing on his nerves, and so, in need of distraction, Stefan headed to the boardroom to let the others know the meeting would have to be rescheduled, and then he went back to his office and set hospital business aside for another look at the Cassadine financial portfolio.

Whether Ric Lansing was the right choice or not, it was now a moot point. Alexis was hiring him at this very moment... and it was time for them all to get to work salvaging what was left of the once mighty Cassadine Empire.

*****

The look on Mrs. Landsbury's face when Ric had shown up with "to-go" containers was so comical, it had taken a supreme effort on his part to hold back a guffaw or two. The grand dame of Wyndemere had, however, taken them, though with full disdain showing on her face, so that the cook could warm the contents in the kitchen. That left him in the study with strict orders to "keep a close eye" on the dark-eyed little girl sitting in her playpen with a stack of large plush blocks that she was having great fun throwing around.

"Hey there, Kristina. You having a good time?"

Her smile flashed at him, and Ric saw parts of two women in that smile... her mother and his. He had long ago resigned himself to only knowing Adella Corinthos Woods through the few memories his father had given him, a couple of aged photographs and a bitterness cultivated for three decades. But his decision to get involved in Alexis' case had taken him to the Cerullo apartment and opened a door to him that he knew would provide unlimited access to the heart of who his mother had been. Gloria was more than ready to share... and someday soon, Ric suspected he would be ready to push that door open a bit wider and find out more about the woman who was still such a mystery to him.

But he had another window into Adella's soul now, and he saw it in the beautiful eyes that stared up at him with such trust, such an openness to the world that Ric knew instantly he was gone for life. Kristina Davis had already crawled into his heart, and he imagined she was planning to stay. That belief was confirmed when the little girl pushed her toys aside and did a most lopsided crawl toward him. When she risked toppling over to raise up one arm, Ric obliged and reached in to pick her up.

"You want to come see me, huh? You want to come see Uncle Ric?"

Flirting was, apparently, something women were born knowing how to do. Kristina blinked her big brown eyes at him, then she ducked her head down and snuggled against his shoulder, her little fingers balling up in his shirt to make sure he didn't go anywhere.

"Oh, you don't play fair," Ric told her as he carefully made his way to the couch, where he sat down, still cuddling her close. "I mean, how's a guy supposed to resist this? No wonder everyone wants you. Who wouldn't, huh?

"But now you're where you belong, Kristina," he whispered, his breath tickling across her cheek and making her snuggle against him even more. "Little girls belong with their mamas... and I promise you, no one's ever gonna get you away from yours ever again. Not while I'm around."

The baby squirmed in his arms, and Ric set her back from him a bit and was met with that dazzling smile again. Her hands reached out toward his face, and when her fingers touched down on his lips, Ric started in on a gumming motion that teased the tips of her fingers, sometimes catching them and making her giggle. He had a mouthful of baby fingers when two voices announced new arrivals into the study.

"Alexis, are you sure you're okay?" Zander asked as he waited for Alexis to walk ahead of him through the door. She passed by, gently touching his shoulder, her hands already undoing the belt of her coat as she made her way into the room.

"I'm fine. And you didn't need to come all the way out here with me."

"Of course I did. I..."

Whatever Zander was about to say was forgotten because he and Alexis looked in unison toward the truly hysterical scene Ric and Kristina made... him all hunched up on the couch, trying to keep Kristina in a comfortable position as the baby kept stretching her legs, pushing away from him, yet reaching toward him to apparently get her fingers into his mouth.

"Mmm, helmo," Ric said, his 'hello' distorted by the baby hands still playing with his lips.

"Hi," Alexis said, a laugh in her voice as she walked toward them. Not surprisingly, the sight of her mother made Ric far less interesting to Kristina than he had been a second earlier, and his mouth was finally freed as the little girl reached enthusiastically toward her mama.

"Hello, my angel. How's my girl?"

A captive audience--that's how one would no doubt describe he and Zander Smith, Ric thought, as they both looked on, grinning like idiots, at the simple yet stunning picture of this mother and daughter so pleased to be together. Kristina's dimples emerged fully as Alexis blew kisses on the baby's belly, and Alexis laughed out loud as Kristina raised her knees up as if to block the teasing kisses only to then arch her body to expose said belly all over again. Something serious had clearly been on Alexis' mind when she and her young protector had first arrived, but in Kristina's presence, whatever it was had fled from her mind... at least temporarily.

"She was consoling me after I got scolded by Mrs. Landsbury," Ric finally said, and Alexis pulled the baby against her, cuddling her as she looked over at him.

"I'm sorry to have put you through that, but I love Chicken Madera."

"Extra mushrooms, double mashed potatoes," he chimed in with a wink.

"Oh, no, now you know all my secrets."

The statement was offered playfully, but a moment of quiet and a certain look passed between Ric and Alexis as they silently acknowledged the fact that it was absolutely true. It was a beat Zander picked up on, even if he didn't understand it entirely.

"Well," Alexis began, finally ending the silence, "we are trying desperately to keep Kristina's schedule in tact, so I need to run up and put her down. Ric, do you mind waiting just a few minutes for lunch?"

"Not at all. You two ladies go ahead."

Alexis nodded, then turned to Zander.

"Kristina, say good night to Zander."

"Ah, night little angel," came the reply of the young man who was, for all intents and purposes, Kristina's 'big brother.' The baby rewarded his sweetness with a tug on his fingers and few flaps of her eyelashes.

"Little charmer," Alexis commented. "You should stay, have some lunch with us."

Zander shook his head. "I gotta get back. I'll come by later in the week, and we'll take Kristina for a walk or something."

"Sounds like a plan. Okay, we're off to sleepytime."

Ric watched as Alexis stopped to drop a slight peck onto Zander's cheek, then headed from the room with a cooing Kristina in her arms. Both men seemed to be upholding a magically made agreement to wait until there were no footsteps audible to either before they turned their full attention toward each other.

"Is everything all right?" Ric asked. "She seemed a little upset when you first came in."

"Your brother. That's all he does is upset people, Alexis in particular."

Ric felt his nerves begin to hum at the mention of Sonny. Sonny near Alexis was not good... not given what he now knew.

"What, um, what was Sonny doing..."

"You'll have to ask her," Zander said. "I only got there in time to get her away from him, but she was pretty mad."

"Well, I'll ask her then."

Ric waited as Zander seemed to be studying him. He and the young man didn't know each other all that well, but Ric knew of him, knew of his past ties to Sonny and Alexis. It was clear that no matter what had happened, the young man still felt very strongly about the lady lawyer.

"You helping Alexis get K back, that was cool. But you bring Sonny close to them, and that's not cool."

"I'm done fighting with my brother, Zander," Ric assured him, "so you don't have to worry about that."

"Sonny doesn't just forget stuff. He'll be looking at you."

"He won't find anything. I promise."

Zander nodded once, then took three steps across the space between them.

"That's good. 'Cause just so you know, if you hurt that lady..."

"I'll have you to answer to?" Ric asked, a grin on his face as he tried to lighten the mood. But despite his attempt at levity, he was surprised when Zander chuckled.

"No, trust me, you hurt Alexis, and the line of guys you're gonna have to answer to starts about 10 or so in front of me. And they're all a lot scarier than I am."

It was a warning, but one offered with the opportunity for Ric to prove himself--an invitation of sorts to join that fraternity of "men who watched out for Alexis," not because she needed them to, but because they couldn't not do it; she meant that much to them.

"I won't do anything to hurt Alexis. I promise."

The younger man extended his hand. "Then we'll get along just fine."

Ric took the offered hand and shook it, and then Zander turned toward the door and made his exit. Mrs. Landsbury returned a few minutes later with two elaborate trays set up with the exquisite Grille lunch, and not long after that, Alexis made her way back to the study.

"Have I mentioned that putting my daughter to sleep is number two on the best parts of being with my daughter again?"

Her smile drew out one from him, and Ric sat down as she took a spot on the sofa next to him.

"And what is number one?"

"Being able to just look at her any time I want to."

Her eyes were sparkling as she said it, but Ric wondered if it was from joy so much as from tears of regret that wanted to come forth but which Alexis was determined to hold back. The lost time hurt, it always would. And he hated seeing that sadness in her as much as he hated the idea that something, or rather someone, had upset earlier. Still, he waited until they had enjoyed their lunch before he finally picked up his coffee cup and sat back against the cushions.

"So Zander mentioned you, uh, you ran into Sonny earlier?"

Alexis sighed heavily and sank back into the pillows around her, her hands momentarily covering her face before they dropped down into her lap.

"That man can be so infuriating."

"Sonny? No!"

The joke managed to get at least a small grin to show up on her face, but it faded quickly. "Well, he was infuriating after I stopped being terrified. When I first heard his voice..."

"You thought he'd found out?"

She nodded, leaning forward now so that her forearms rested on her thighs. "Yeah, I did. And, um, I'm ashamed to admit, for a second..."

"You wondered if I'd changed my mind."

There was no accusation in Ric's statement, no judgment. He waited for her to confirm or deny it, and when her hand reached out and touched down lightly on his, he knew.

"I'm sorry. I... if it means anything, the very next second, I knew... I knew you hadn't."

Ric smiled at her and let his opposite hand settle down on hers. "It does matter. And don't beat yourself up. I'd be worried if you hadn't wondered. It's not like I have a great track record for trustworthiness."

"You do with me... and I am sorry. It won't happen again."

The warmth of her touch pulled away from his skin as Alexis stood up. She took several steps one way then walked back, her body clearly filled with nervous energy thanks to the subject at hand.

"Anyway, that's not what he wanted, obviously. He wanted to talk to me about you."

His eyes reflexively closed a moment as if in apology, and then Ric rose up, his height dwarfing her.

"Alexis, I'm sorry."

"No, no," she said, her hand coming up to halt any further apology. "Sonny is Sonny. No one can stop him from doing whatever self-protective, maniacally self-centered things he wants or needs to do."

"What did he say?"

"He thinks that... " A small chuckle escaped despite Alexis' best efforts to keep it in. "He thinks that you are after [I]his[/I] secrets. That you're only helping me to find out something I know that you can use against him."

The irony was just as humorous to Ric as it was Alexis, and after a moment of looking at each other as if to say, "can you believe that," they both burst into laughter, the sound filling the grand chamber and rumbling off the walls.

"What... what did you... " He said, stumbling, fighting to catch his breath. "What did you say to him?"

"I told him that what was going on between you and I was about you and I," Alexis told him.

"Oh, he must have loved that."

A wicked gleam in Alexis' eye was added to the amusement still on her face. "He might have been a tad annoyed."

They enjoyed another small laugh, but then Ric suddenly grew serious and when Alexis started to ask him why, he saved her by simply telling her.

"I don't want to be what draws him back into your life."

"You won't be," she reassured. "Sonny will get bored by this. I'm of little interest to him except for what he thinks I can tell you, and when he realizes that isn't anything, he'll let it go."

Again her hand sought his, and again, Ric welcomed the warmth and the touch as concrete evidence that he was really on this road so very different from the one he'd been on days earlier.

"So enough about your brother, okay? It's high time we iron out the terms of your contract... that is, if you still want the job?"

His smile returned full force, and Ric squeezed her hand in his. "Oh, I'm sure. So yes, let's get to work on that contract. And then we need to talk about the shipping company. I've got an idea about how we can make that more solvent pretty quickly."

*****

The knock at the door of the suite stopped Lois' packing. She headed toward it, shouting back over her shoulder.

"Ma, I think he's here."

The knob was already in her hand as her mother shouted back. "Well, he's early. Tell him you don't rush Italian mothers while they're getting ready."

Lois nearly doubled over at her mom's response, and so she was distracted as she finally opened the door. It made the surprise of finding not Ric Lansing but her ex-husband standing there instead that much greater.

"Ned?!"

"Wow," he said, his voice sounding defeated, his head bowed, "I never thought I'd actually miss you calling me 'Nedly.' You must really be mad at me."

"You don't think I have reason to be mad at you?" Lois asked as she shut the door. "Watching a man you once loved turn into a heartless, soulless, manipulative rich jerk is not fun, ya know?"

"You forgot child-stealing, barbaric and cruel."

"I used those last night," she reminded him.

Ned nodded, unable to mount much of a defense. He was, frankly, done in by the image of him being broadcast back by the one woman he knew he had loved completely in his lifetime. Lois had been the only one to get all the way in... and she knew him. Too well, he knew, for him to deny that as much as he loved Kristina, what he'd done these past months wasn't about love for the little girl so much as it was his one and only chance to hurt Alexis back as much as she'd hurt him.

"You have been a Grade-A loser, Ned... and frankly, right now, I think that's being generous."

"I know," he admitted, unsure of what else to say. His silence seemed to only aggravate Lois even more.

"Well, are you even gonna ask?" she questioned, her hand landing on her hip.

"Ask what?"

Lois let out an exasperated sigh. "What you should do to try and de-Edward yourself, Ned, because seriously, if you don't do something soon... "

It had taken every ounce of self-preservation Ned could muster to make him come here and endure another tongue-lashing from his ex because he knew, deep down, that she would know how he fixed this. He didn't like the man he'd become, he didn't like the choices he'd been making. Something had to give.

"All right, what do you suggest?"

"First, you come to Brooklyn and you see your daughter. YOUR daughter, Ned. You spend time with her."

"I'd really love to see her."

"Good," Lois said, "then you come, you visit, and then... then you let me book Eddie Maine into a few dates... "

"Lois, that part of my life..."

"Is your escape... so escape already. Get outta dodge and get your head clear. Then you can come back here and see what you'll see with Alexis and Kristina."

He thought of a million arguments against her plan, but in the end, Ned simply shook his head and smiled. It didn't seem to matter how long they went without talking or how different their lives were now than when they'd been husband and wife, Lois was still the touchstone by which his life was held firmly into place.

"So Eddie Maine's going on the road."

Lois smiled and nodded. "And maybe, just maybe... by the time he gets back, I'll be calling you Nedly again."

*****

Despite it being a day filled with seemingly a thousand highs and lows, Ric decided it was one of his favorite days in recent memory. He had a new job, he had a new friend, his niece seemed to adore him, and both Lois and Gloria Cerullo had smothered him with hugs and gained a promise of a visit to Brooklyn before finally boarding their plane home.

Nearly the minute he was through the front door of his apartment, Ric was into the files for Mikkonos Shipping. He'd already briefed Alexis on his first idea, and she was on board. So now he needed to get a pitch together for Stefan.

The excitement he felt at having a new deal to put together was only boosted by the fact that it was a legitimate business proposition. No shady underworld "side deals" like in his days working for Luis Alcazar, no secret agenda from trying to worm his way into Sonny Corinthos' inner circle. He was just a damn good lawyer putting together a moneymaking idea... and it felt really, really good.

Everything in him trained to detect trouble started ringing, poking, tugging and gnawing at him when he heard the knock. Ric knew no one he'd want to see would be coming by at this hour... and chances were it was either Sonny coming to confront him about working with Alexis or Faith looking to have some amorous notion fulfilled before she got in his face yet again about Fowler's murder and framing Jason for it. A look through the peephole revealed a head full of blonde hair, and he knew it was choice "b."

"Faith, I'm really not... "

He'd started speaking even as he opened the door, but Ric's voice disappeared as he saw the dark bruise on Faith's left cheek and the black and blue splotch darkening around her right eye.

"What... Faith, what happened? Who did this to you?"

"You did, lover," she purred, "Unless you do what I want."

She walked past him into the house, and Ric numbly shut the door, then turned to face her.

"What are you..."

"Talking about?" Faith said, finishing his thought. "You've been annoying me, sweetness, and so now it's time to change the rules of our little game. So you are going to go get that lovely, bloody, Jason Morgan finger-print covered crowbar, and you're going to make sure it ends up in the hands of that oh, so sexy detective Taggart, or I am going to call him and tell him that you did this to me when I refused to take care of your needs tonight. So... your move."

The pit of Ric's stomach dropped to the floor as he starred at her and realized she meant every word she was saying. Every promise he'd made to Alexis as recently as four hours ago was now dangling by a thread, and neither of Faith's proposed options were a workable option. Frame Jason--draw Sonny back into his sphere and thereby Alexis and Kristina's. Let Faith scream rape and battery, and his new life was over.

It would have been a Mexican standoff except that as Faith looked at him triumphantly, Ric realized he had a third option... a highly undesirable one, but perhaps the only one that could get him out of this without hurting Alexis and her daughter.

He would go to Sonny and Jason... and he would tell them what Faith wanted him to do.

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