"Sorry to be late."

Alexis' apology rushed out of her as she stepped through the entryway of Cameron's office and shut the door behind her.

"That's all right," Cameron replied. He waited for his patient to get settled before he went on. "Is she feeling better?"

A smile graced her face. "Yes. The frozen orange wedges were a great idea."

"Well, they always worked for Alexander when he was teething."

She smiled again at his comment, and Cameron imagined she was picturing his son as a baby. All thick, dark hair and big eyes--that's how Cameron always remembered his youngest. If only he'd had some idea of how complex the mind behind those soulful eyes had been, perhaps...

Well, that was for another time. His issues with his son were for him to work out, and not on his patient's time.

"You know he's working for me now? Well, for us," she asked.

Cameron nodded. "I heard. Not from Zander, of course, but I ran into your nephew the other day and he mentioned it."

"It seems to be working out well. He likes the 'no dress code' part quite a bit, I think, though he did let me buy him two new suits for meetings and dinners, though he's insisting on paying me back."

"I very much appreciate you giving him the opportunity."

"Actually, it was Ric's idea," she informed him.

"Then it seems I owe a thanks to Mr. Lansing as well, if you'd pass it on. So how have things been?"

Alexis looked at him intently before answering. "Things are good. Things are very good, and I'm actually... I'm actually starting to trust that a little, I think."

"That's good to hear," Cameron said.

"It's good to say." Alexis sighed, then went on. "Ned signed the papers and they've been filed, so he no longer has any claim on Kristina. The Quartermaines are furious, of course, but living on a small island helps keep them at bay."

"I'd imagine so," Cameron agreed, chuckling. "And with Ned relinquishing custody, no worries about her biological father becoming suspicious?"

"I live with the fear of him finding out every day," she admitted, the confession causing her shoulders to droop just a bit. "He's not a stupid man. Right now, it doesn't fit his agenda to think about it too much, but if he ever does..." Alexis stopped, her worst fear rushing through her, a small shudder shaking her body. "But I can't spend any more time worried about him or the Quartermaines. Kristina and I have a family, and they will be there to help us if we need them.

He tried not to smile at that, but he couldn't help it. She rolled her eyes and then laughed.

"I know, I know. Shut up."

"Alexis, far be it from me to lord my rightness over you, but--"

"Oh, please!" You [I]live[/I] to lord your rightness over me. See? I told Ric you'd be insufferable when I finally admitted you were right about something."

The second mention of Alexis' new prot(g( within their short conversation made Cameron take notice. His last few sessions with her had revealed a good if hard won change in her attitude toward accepting help from her friends and family--something he now understood to be a near Herculean feat for Alexis given her childhood bonding and trust issues. Ric Lansing's name was becoming one regularly mentioned in her anecdotes along with Nikolas' and Stefan Cassadine's, and it had not taken a great leap of logic for Cameron to discern that the attorney was in fact the "he" who had figured out the truth about who Kristina's real father was.

As their session total grew, Cameron had honored his pledge to her to put his own preconceptions about who she was aside, and in doing so, he'd managed to not only gain new insight into his patient and friend, but the doctor was fairly certain he'd solved for himself the riddle of Kristina's paternity, though he had no intention of confronting Alexis with his suspicions. If he was correct, he now understood a great deal more about the lengths she had gone to in order to protect her little girl. Just hearing third-hand about the ways Zander's life had been affected by Sonny Corinthos made Cameron furious. If that man was the baby's father, Alexis had, in his flawed parental opinion, been completely justified in keeping her daughter far away from him.

It remained to be seen, however, if her decision to trust Ric Lansing had been a wise one. Discerning the truth about Kristina had left Cameron wondering at the motivation for Corinthos' half-brother to swear allegiance to Alexis and her secret. She seemed to believe in his vow, and Cameron didn't want to shake that newfound faith by asking her questions he knew, thanks to her earlier rambles, that she'd already asked herself about whether or not she should trust "him." But as both doctor and friend, he hoped that Lansing was on the up and up. Cameron wasn't sure Alexis could handle another betrayal--not on that deep a level.

There was nothing, though, that he could do about those worries today. Instead, the psychiatrist refocused on their present conversation, and in it he found that Alexis was genuinely moving on with her life. She was working, enjoying her new partnership in restoring the family business, and she was finding chances to have fun within the intimate circle of loved ones she had allowed herself to believe in.

She was also embracing and reclaiming her roles within her family. Alexis was again a loving aunt and a devoted sister in addition to being a wonderful mother. Balance had been restored to her life after months of struggle and chaos.

He'd made his decision before she even left, and moments after the door closed behind Alexis, Cameron had the phone in his hand to buzz his secretary.

"Could you get Judge Samuels on the phone for me, please?"

*****

"Okay, so I think I get why we're selling the real estate stuff." Zander interrupted himself by taking a gulp of his steaming hot coffee. The cup was barely half empty, but a Grille waiter stepped forward and refilled it anyway. "But why sell a bunch of overpriced antiques and give the money away if Cassadine Industries is still having money problems?"

Ric sipped at his espresso and suppressed a smile. Zander had been a hard sell on the job offer, mostly because he'd been convinced it came from Alexis in an attempt to "mother him via employment." The young man's obvious adoration of her didn't mean he wanted her feeling responsible for him.

[i]"Don't get me wrong. Her faith in me... it means everything. But it's up to me to straighten out my life. She already made sure I got a second chance at it. I need to figure out what to do to make it count."[/i]

That had been the moment when the attorney realized he and Zander Smith had something more than just admiration of Alexis in common. She had given them both a new lease on life. And neither of them wanted to let her down. Ric had been able to convince the younger man that this was a chance to avoid just that. He'd be doing grunt work to be sure--running errands, typing up documents, packing and shipping any number of things--but if he was interested, Ric was willing to tutor him on the ins and outs of the business deals he was helping to complete. It would be a chance for him to learn new skills, and to perhaps find the "thing" that would ultimately lead him to a future goal.

Zander had jumped at the chance.

"Well, the Roarco deal did quite a bit for us," Ric explained. "But most importantly, it gave Cassadine Industries some immediate cash to settle up debts and shore up a few other divisions. Because we stayed in partnership rather than selling outright, it also proved we can still do big business. Perception in the business world is very important. If people think you're doing well, they're less nervous about looking at proposals from you."

"So that's sort of what it's about?" Zander asked. "The way people see the Cassadines?"

Ric nodded. "Exactly. The properties that Nikolas and I are grouping for sale will provide more cash to the company. And, yes, there's still a lot left to be done before we're solvent, but the Cassadines as a family are also in serious need of some good press."

Now Zander smiled. "Right, and so if they donate these 'family treasures' for the hospital fundraiser and the whole take goes to the GH kids' wing--"

"Then the tag of 'desperate' disappears, because they're in a position to make this magnanimous gesture, and we get Alexis, Stefan and Nikolas' name in print for a good deed."

Zander thought about that for a moment, then nodded. "That should help her in court next time, too, right?"

"That could have something to do with why I suggested it, yes," Ric confessed. He grinned as he reached for his espresso cup again. It was obvious why Alexis liked this kid so much. He was sharp and he had good instincts. Once he had some experience and perhaps some higher education under his belt, there were CEOs all over the country who would be at his mercy.

"All right," Zander picked up the file folder that lay in front of him. "So you want me to compare this list against the items in the Cassadine attic and storage room."

"Yeah. Alexis says they're not sure what Helena might have stolen while she was running amok, and no one's really checked the inventory. We need to know what exactly we have before we start giving things away, probably get some new appraisals."

Zander grabbed his coffee cup and took one more big drink from the cup. "Okay, I'll get started. What's my deadline?"

"I'd like to be able to start going over the list with Alexis by Friday."

"Three days? No problem." the young man said, his confidence showing in his eyes. "I'll be on the island if you need me.

As Zander stood and made his way out of the restaurant, Ric waved good-bye and then he glanced at his watch. Alexis should be done with her appointment now and on her way back to Wyndemere. He didn't want to rush in and overwhelm her the second she got back, so he decided to order another espresso and wait a bit. Kristina's teething had been tiring for everyone the last two days, and he himself had been there until midnight trying to give the worried mother a break--hence his own caffeine binge this morning.

While the waiter cleared Zander's dishes away and went off for the new espresso, Ric thought about his niece and wondered how she was today. He'd wanted so much to call and check on her... and her mother, but he had hoped they were both sleeping, and he knew Alexis had to meet with Cameron, so he'd let it go. But he was looking forward to talking to her about the decision he'd made, about his hopes that it was going to help him do what he was so inspired to do from watching her--let the past go.

He knew Alexis struggled with that every day in innumerable ways. She still had to deal with whispers and looks every time she went out in public and the "fine" citizens of Port Charles turned accusatory eyes toward her, whether they thought she was a murderess or crazy or just "that mob lawyer." He saw the sad, heavy cloud that sometimes settled over her when Alexis watched Kristina and thought of Sonny and all that had happened between them. And he knew that she was still burying a large chunk of her grief over her sister's loss somewhere deep inside because, sadly, Alexis had had precious little time to grieve before her own life had imploded.

But she was still moving forward, working every day to make a better life for her baby girl and for herself, fighting for her family. It filled Ric with awe to see it. He recalled again the stories he'd heard about "the" Alexis Davis before his arrival in Port Charles. By the time he'd come into contact with her, that determined, confident and powerful woman had been knocked down and had nearly been out. But she was coming back now--slowly, to be sure--but it was happening. And Ric was just grateful to be there to watch it happen.

Out of the blue, it suddenly dawned on Ric that he was sitting in the Grille, it was near lunchtime, and Alexis' favorite meal happened to be made here. No doubt she would enjoy the treat given how tired she must be, and Kristina loved to have a few bites of the yummy mashed potatoes, so he had the potential to make both girls' days brighter. Spurred to action, Ric glanced around for his waiter, who had seemingly disappeared since delivering the hot coffee. With the man nowhere to be found, the determined attorney stood and crossed the room, waving over the bartender.

"I wanted to add a to-go order to my bill, and I can't seem to find my waiter."

"Sure, Mr. Lansing, I can do that."

With the Chicken Madera ordered--with extra mushrooms and double mashed potatoes--Ric turned, planning to head back to his table to wait. But he was stopped cold by the appearance of his brother, who stood across from him with a stony expression on his face.

"Well," Ric thought to himself, "here's a good day about to go to hell."

*****

Sonny hadn't just wandered into the Grille on accident. A phone call to his men had told him where to find Ric, and he'd come here with one purpose in mind.

He wanted an answer. Correction--answers, to his own question and to Jason's.

[i]"And that's it?"

Jason turned his eyes toward Sonny and stared at him questioningly. "What else did you expect?"

"I... I'm just saying, are you sure that's it?"

Sonny waited while Jason looked at him blankly. No more information seemed to be forthcoming, but damn it, Sonny wanted something else--some better story as to why Ric Lansing had been in New York City with Alexis. In his mind it couldn't be as simple as a business deal, couldn't only be bad weather that had kept them there overnight. He was looking for one of his brother's elaborate schemes, a setup--something.

"I don't know what you want me to tell you, Sonny. That's what happened."

Sonny shook his head in disbelief and paced twice across the floor of the warehouse office. "He's got to be up to something. Every single thing Ric's done since he got to town has been a scam to get at me. There's no way this is any different."

"I asked this before, and I'm gonna ask again," Jason said. "Why do you care?"[/i]

He'd warned his brother to stay away from Alexis, but clearly, Ric hadn't listened. And from what Sonny heard from the guards who shadowed Lansing's every waking moment, not only was he not putting distance between them, he was becoming a fixture in Alexis Davis' life. Hours spent working at Wyndemere, out-of-town business meetings, play dates with Kristina--well, it might all sound perfectly innocent to other people, but Sonny knew his half-sibling. There was a reason he was worming his way into her confidence. But his surety of that did nothing to make it clear to Sonny why he couldn't rest until he knew what Ric had planned for Alexis.

"You and I need to talk."

Ric raised his eyebrows and let out a sigh. "I thought you and I were pretty much done talking as of a few weeks ago," he said, referencing their joint effort to neutralize Faith.

Sonny shrugged and headed for one of the bar stools. "Things change."

He didn't invite his younger brother to sit down, but Ric followed him reluctantly and leaned his elbow against the bar, refusing to take a seat. Sonny was surprised by the seemingly passive reaction. Usually there was nothing to get Ric's heart pumping like a chance to fight with him.

"You have until my order is ready."

"Won't need that long," Sonny answered. "Just want to know one thing."

"And what's that, big brother?"

The bitter tone of his "big brother" wasn't lost on Sonny, who pasted on the fake smile he wore in meetings at the No Name.

"Do you really think you can use Alexis to get to me?"

"What? Use Alexis to get to you?"

He laughed. The bastard laughed. Sonny felt his jaw tighten.

"What's so damn funny?"

"Me," Ric answered flippantly. "I'm what's so funny. Because I can actually see in my head how you expected this to play out. You had the handbook on me down pat, and you know what, Sonny? You were right."

"Were?"

His brother nodded. "Were. Past tense. I am done with you. Done. Finished. I don't care what you do or who you do it to... with two exceptions."

Sonny felt his face pull into a sneer. "Let me guess. Alexis and her daughter."

"Alexis and the Cassadine business empire," Ric corrected. "You see, if you ever make any sort of business move against that family, I'll have to stand in your path. And Alexis--well, she's my friend. That's explanation enough. As for Kristina--you get near her, I have no doubt her mother can take you down all by herself."

"So I'm supposed to just believe you?" Sonny asked, the sarcastic tone of his voice making it clear he didn't buy that his nemesis had really taken this sudden detour off his path of revenge. "You come to town set on destroying me, you manipulate my wife, use people left and right--but now, now you've turned over a new leaf because Alexis Davis, what, smiled at you?"

At some point in their conversation, the bartender, sensing he wasn't wanted or needed, had scooted off to steer clear of the tension between the two dark-haired men. But he returned now, a large handled bag in tow, and set it down on the bar near Ric.

"The cook asked me to have you tell Ms. Davis hello, Mr. Lansing."

Ric smiled, and the absolute joy that radiated out of him at the mention of Alexis' name made Sonny's gut turn over.

"I'll do that."

The bartender had also brought a check with him, and Ric pulled three 20s from his wallet and dropped them on the bar and indicated the man should keep the change. Pleased, he headed off, leaving the two brothers alone again. Sonny was about to speak when Ric snapped up his bag of takeout, then turned to him.

"You and I may yet tear each other apart, Sonny. Maybe there's no way to stop that now, I don't know. But you will not use Alexis to get to me or to provoke me. She's worth more than that."

Most of Sonny's life had been about making certain he would never, ever feel as ineffectual or as weak as he had in his childhood. The last person on Earth he would have imagined could make him feel that way was the man who looked at him with an air of supremacy as he walked away from the bar and out of the restaurant.

Sonny had never hated Ric more than in that moment.

*****

That the Port Charles Grille was, for all intents and purposes, the best restaurant in town was one of those things that always made Stefan shake his head at the reality of the life he was now living. He imagined his father would scoff mightily at the vision of his after-thought of a son and his illegitimate daughter heading up the Cassadine estate from a city with only one decent restaurant. It hardly seemed fitting for the heirs to one of the most legendary and most ruthlessly fought over fortunes in the world. And yet, no matter how incongruous it seemed, Port Charles had become their home--a place where he and his sister and the children they loved had stopped being a dynasty and finally become a family.

He was not at all surprised that the Quartermaine woman was late. She would probably be ill-prepared as well. Stefan ordered a cup of coffee and waited to see how much irritation the meeting would result in.

It wasn't until he was seated and waiting for his drink to arrive that he saw them--Ric Lansing standing by the bar, Sonny Corinthos seated beside him. The discussion seemed intense, though not heated. And in only an instant, Stefan's curiosity was piqued. A master of reading body language--one had to be to survive amongst the liars and schemers he was related to--Stefan took note of the men's postures, their attitudes, the differing looks on their faces. All of those parts added up to an intriguing sum. Corinthos was angry, and more interestingly, he was trying hard not to appear angry, but failing miserably. Lansing, however, while clearly not pleased with the topic of conversation, was in control. More than that, he seemed completely disinterested in engaging his older brother.

That was important and was duly noted by Stefan. His biggest worry in hiring the clearly qualified attorney to work for his family had been that he might drag Alexis in the middle of a power struggle with the mob boss. But if the scene he was witnessing was any indication, the man was telling the truth about leaving his feud with his brother behind him.

It was too soon to make that judgment entirely, though, so Stefan filed his observations away. A few moments after Ric made his exit from the Grille without ever noticing his employer, Stefan watched Corinthos storm out, clearly dissatisfied with the encounter. The dark-haired man had nearly mowed Skye Quartermaine over as she entered with her arms full of files. Their contents spilled out all over the floor as Sonny continued out without a word of apology and the redhead looked down at the mess, deflated and clearly embarrassed. After two waiters stepped forward to help her clean up the pile of papers, she stood, her hand moving her hair behind her ears as she tried to reclaim whatever dignity she could, and with her now mishmash files, Skye lifted her eyes toward Stefan and started toward him.

"I... I'm sorry to be late. I was waiting for a call back on the gaming tables for the party."

His eyes conveyed his displeasure at being kept waiting, and Stefan said nothing as his companion sat down across from him.

On the opposite side of the table, Skye clutched her horribly mixed up papers against her chest like a protective shield. Stefan's contempt for her surrounded him--an aura of absolute dark light that wanted to repel her away. But she refused to be pushed aside. Skye had immersed herself into the arrangements for the hospital fundraiser, and though her plan to stroll in confidently and well-organized had been shattered by Sonny Corinthos' boorishness, she was determined to not let that set her off on a bad path. Skye was invested in this project, not just because she wanted to prove to herself and everyone else she could do it, but because the more she read about the things the pediatrics wing could do with the money they would raise, the more she wanted to be some small part of the amazing things that could happen there.

That wasn't to say there hadn't been moments when she'd been alone in her hotel suite, her mountain of paperwork before her, when her thoughts hadn't drifted to Kristina and to Ned and to the disaster her own life had become since their lives had all intersected. In those melancholy beats, her demons whispered to her that a drink would make it all better. But instead of giving in as she had so many times in the past, Skye had picked up the phone and called Alan or she had gone to an AA meeting.

Her resolve was sticking. And she'd be damned if Stefan Cassadine was going to be the one to shake it.

"I have a preliminary budget worked out," she said, wasting no more time in getting their meeting started. Stefan leveled his gaze at her and then glanced down at her haphazard stack of files.

"And I'm sure you know exactly where it is."

The barb annoyed her not just because it seemed unnecessarily rude but because it wasn't her fault Sonny Corinthos was a moron who hadn't been watching where he was going. Skye began shuffling through her pile, and somewhere, an angel smiled on her. The budget was the fourth page she turned to. Smiling triumphantly, she offered the piece of paper to him. Stefan took the budget and began scanning it.

"I've been able to negotiate some fairly good rates with the vendors, given that it is a charitable function. Most of them are giving us supplies at cost or donating services in exchange for advertising in the programs."

"I didn't authorize that," he said. Skye immediately cut him off.

"I checked with Audrey and Amanda, and they assured me that was fairly common practice in past fundraisers, like the Nurses' Ball."

Stefan cleared his throat. "Well, if you had let me finish, I was going to say, I didn't authorize it, but it seems like a good solution."

Skye smiled. "I'll need to give them confirmations by the end of next week so we can set up delivery dates. And Lila's assured me the family will donate the ballroom here in the hotel if we want to use it."

"I see that you still have 'to be determined' written in for the gaming tables and dealers."

"Yes," she replied, "that's the call I was waiting for. It appears that may be the one problem."

"How so?" Stefan asked.

"Well, the company that used to rent out their tables and such for parties here in Port Charles has shut down, and having them brought in from out of town could be very pricey."

"Then I suggest we dispense with the whole casino theme," Stefan offered, "and plan an elegant dinner/dance auction as I'd originally suggested."

She wasn't at all surprised he took the first hint of a problem to try and get out of the theme. Audrey and Amanda had both warned her that he hated the idea, and Alan had told her to be wary of him setting her up to go head-to-head with the Barrington heiress over her desired theme for the event.

"Well, there's one other solution we could try before we have to discuss changing themes with Amanda."

Stefan scowled and Skye had to stifle a chuckle. There was something oddly amusing about annoying him.

"Sonny Corinthos owns several casinos, and if he were to be asked, he might donate the equipment and even staff the tables for us. He does have a vested interest in the hospital's success, given his association with the AIDS wing."

Skye waited anxiously as Stefan sat silently looking over her budget again, probably seeking out anything he could use to pick at her preparations, but the truth was, she'd done a damn good job, and even she knew it. Charm was never something Skye had run low on, and it worked wonders with vendors who didn't want to go quite as low on a bid as she needed them to. And if there was one thing being a Chandler and a Quartermaine had taught the oft-name-changing socialite, it was how to throw a party.

"Take care of it, then," Stefan finally said, handing the budget sheet back to her. "Once you get his cooperation, call me with a final budget."

"Wait!" The raised tone of her voice surprised even Skye, but she quickly composed herself so she could explain the reaction that had left a shocked look on the Cassadine patriarch's face.

"It's just that... well, um, Sonny Corinthos... well, he hates me."

Stefan's mouth curled into a grin. "You just have a winning way with people, don't you, Ms. Quartermaine?"

Skye rolled her eyes in response to his gibe. "Perhaps if you'd call him--"

"Absolutely not."

"But--"

Stefan shook his head. "I have my own issues with Mr. Corinthos. If you want to make these arrangements, I suggest you find a way around [I]your[/I] problems with him and make it happen. Otherwise, you can explain to Amanda Barrington why we're going to have to change themes."

Checkmate. It was now all on her, and Skye knew it. She had to find a way to get Sonny on board with the project or face the music with the hospital board when she couldn't make the requested event theme work.

"Fine," she said, sighing. "I'll deal with it, but--"

The short two-beep ring of a cell phone interrupted their discussion, and Skye fell silent as Stefan reached into his jacket pocket and pulled out his cell. It didn't surprise her that his ring was abrupt--it matched his personality.

"Stefan Cassadine."

She watched his face as whoever was calling stated their reason for doing so. Skye couldn't help but notice the flash of concern that passed through his eyes.

"I'll leave right now."

He snapped the phone shut and stood. Skye could sense that his mood had shifted from the oddly cruel playfulness of their interaction to one of great concern.

"I apologize, Ms. Quartermaine, but the rest of this will have to wait."

"Is... is everything all right?"

Her question was genuine. Stefan didn't seem like the type of man who got easily rattled, but he was clearly not pleased about the phone call he'd received. Skye was momentarily worried it was bad news about Kristina, but she knew even if it was, her interest would be unwelcome past a general inquiry.

"I have an unexpected meeting I need to attend," he replied. "Call me when you speak to Corinthos."

With that, Stefan turned and headed for the exit. Skye leaned back in her chair and stared down at the still jumbled papers in front of her, her eyes locking in on the "to be determined" entry on the budget.

Speaking to Sonny Corinthos... she had no idea how she was going to make that happen, given their history. But there had to be a way to make it happen. There had to be.

*****

Ric had just barely stepped foot onto Spoon Island when his phone rang. He was tempted to ignore it, but when the caller I.D. flashed "Dara," he picked it up immediately.

"Dara, hi."

"Ric, where are you?"

"I'm just about to head into Wyndemere to have lunch with Alexis and Kristina."

"Well, I'm afraid your lunch plans will have to wait."

A knot formed in his stomach. "What is it?"

Dara sighed. "I just got a call from Judge Samuels office. He wants us, Stefan and Alexis in his chambers in an hour."

"What? Why?" Ric was incredulous. Ned had signed away his parental rights, and no one else had a legal leg to stand on when it came to Kristina's custody unless... the knot in his stomach grew... no, there was no way Sonny had found out. Ned was the only other person who knew for sure, and he wouldn't tell, not when he was hoping to get Alexis' permission to see Kristina when he got back to Port Charles. So what was going on?

"I'm not sure," Dara answered. "His clerk called and he wants us there."

"Did you tell Alexis yet?" he asked.

"No. I called Stefan, and he's on his way to the courthouse. Alexis was next on my list."

"Okay, let me tell her, and we'll be there as soon as we can. Dara, they didn't say anything about bringing Kristina, did they?"

"No, so let's just hope for the best, okay? I'll see you soon."

Ric closed his phone and felt all of his earlier joys and worries from the day slip away under the weight of this new one. What had prompted this? He'd read every report the social worker sent to the court, and they were all glowing and the family was following every rule the judge had laid out. It didn't make sense for this to be bad, but Alexis had several sessions left with Cameron before her court-ordered therapy was complete, and so it wasn't likely they were being called in to turn Kristina over to her mother full-time either. Shaking his head, Ric walked toward the house and tried to let go of his concerns as best he could. Whatever the hell was going on, he had to get his own head on straight before he walked into the house. Alexis was going to be worried sick, and he had to be there for her.

Mrs. Lansbury directed him to the kitchen, and he found the Davis ladies sitting down for a lunch far less compelling than the one he'd brought them. Kristina looked to be in much better humor than she'd been the last few days, her smile wide and happy as she watched her mother mash bananas in a bowl.

"Well, I'd say that's a much happier baby."

Alexis turned and looked at him over her shoulder and smiled at him. "Much happier. Her new tooth is quite lovely, and she seems very proud of it."

Ric walked over and leaned down to give his niece a kiss. She in turn looked up at him and pointed to her tiny new baby tooth, her finger touching down on it.

"Look at that! My goodness, that might be the best baby tooth ever."

Kristina giggled as Ric kissed her cheek and then tickled her neck. Just then, Alexis saw the bag in his hand.

"Is that Port Charles Grille takeout for anyone in particular?"

He glanced down at the bag and remembered how much he'd been looking forward to surprising her with it. Now he knew any smile she got from it would be short lived.

"I thought maybe Kristina might want some mashed potatoes, and I figured she'd probably let you have the rest."

Alexis laughed and reached for the bag and the container inside.

"Kristina, I think your uncle Ric is spoiling you rotten."

Ric waited while she spooned some of the mashed potatoes onto the highchair's tray to cool, then he put his hand on Alexis' back, drawing her attention to him. He couldn't put it off any longer.

"Um, I hate to say it, but I'm going to have to drag you away from Kristina and from your Chicken Madera. We, um, we have to go to the courthouse."

Her face fell. "Why?"

The fear he'd expected was in her voice, and Ric reached out and took her hands in his. "I'm not sure. Dara got a call from Judge Samuels' clerk, and we need to get over there."

Tears welled up in her eyes, and though it was hopefully just an overreaction, Ric understood it. Alexis had been jerked around like a rag doll where her baby was concerned, and she had truly reached her limit.

"I did everything they asked," she said, her lips trembling. Ric shook his head and pulled her against him, his arms wrapping around her.

"Hey, let's not assume the worst here, okay? Maybe the judge just wants some new provisions... maybe he just wants to update us about something--a new social worker, maybe. Let's just go see what it is, all right?"

She nodded against him, holding tight another beat before she pushed back and wiped her cheeks. "Will you, uh, will you watch her a minute while I get Mrs. Lansbury and get cleaned up?"

"Of course I will."

Alexis headed off, and Ric sat down beside Kristina, who had thankfully been too distracted by her lunch to become upset at Alexis' tears. The little girl picked up a ball of mashed potatoes and offered them to him. Ric playfully moved forward and just as he went to "try" to bite them, Kristina drew her hand back and shoved the potato ball into her own mouth.

"Hey!"

The baby giggled, and Ric reached out and drew his fingers down her cheek.

"I won't break my promise, sweetheart, I swear. No matter what's going on, I'll fight to keep you with your mama, and I won't lose."

Her big, dark eyes looked up at him with total trust, and Ric felt another bit of his heart fill with love for his brother's child.

"I promise."

Fifteen minutes later, Alexis was ready to go, and so they headed out to the docks and made as swift a journey as possible to the courthouse. The duo arrived with barely two minutes to spare, and they found a nervous Dara and a grave-faced Stefan waiting.

"Still no idea what's going on?" Ric asked as they joined up in the hallway.

"No," Dara answered, "but I believe we're about to find out."

She motioned down the hall toward the door of Judge Samuels' chambers. His clerk was leaning out the door, waving them over. Ric reached out and gripped Alexis' left hand with his right.

"I'm right here, okay?"

Alexis nodded and gripped his hand tightly as they headed down to the open doorway. They had just entered the office when Judge Samuels came in.

"Please, everyone sit down. I promise, I won't keep you long."

They did as he asked, nervous glances passing all around. Dara took the lead and asked the burning question on everyone's mind.

"Your honor, can we ask what this is about? Has there been some sort of problem?"

Judge Samuels looked at Dara then he scanned the concerned faces of the other occupants of his chambers. "Oh, heaven's no. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to worry you all. I should have had Justin tell you why I called."

The relief felt by Stefan, Ric and Dara was obvious. But Alexis had been in too many precarious situations to let herself believe everything would be all right, and Ric noticed how she stayed sitting fully at attention, waiting for the other shoe to drop. He reached over and took her hand again, trying to reassure her. But it was the judge who had the real power to do that, and Ric urged him on.

"Could you please just tell us what's going on then? I'm sure you can understand, after all the ups and downs Ms. Davis had been through, this has been a little nerve-racking."

Judge Samuels nodded. "Of course. I called you in because I want to make an amendment to the custody agreement, and I wanted to be sure we were all clear on it. I had a phone call today from your doctor, Ms. Davis."

Alexis' face turned into a question mark. "Dr. Lewis?"

"Mm-hmm," the judge confirmed. "He's quite impressed with the progress you've made. I decided to revisit the social worker's reports and, well, those coupled with Dr. Lewis' comments have made me think that it's time we loosen the reins a bit. So I'm going to allow unsupervised contact between you and Kristina from today to the completion of your therapy sessions. Keep up the good work, and that'll be the day I send her home with you... for good."

"I can..." Alexis' jaw dropped in total disbelief. "I can spend time with her on my own? Take her the park or shopping or... by myself?"

It was the first time since Kristina had been born that someone wouldn't be watching every single move she made with her daughter. Ric could see how that seemed overwhelming and amazing all at the same time.

"Yes, you can, Ms. Davis," Samuels said. "You can take her to the park or shopping or out to dinner or to visit friends. For now, she still needs to be in residence every night at Wyndemere, and as a matter of record and law, Mr. Cassadine, you retain custodial rights so decisions about Kristina's care still fall to you. But I think it's time we let this mother and daughter just be together."

Stefan stood and extended his hand to the judge. "Well past time in my estimation, your honor. Thank you."

The judge shook his hand, then received matching offers of thanks from Dara, Ric and a still stunned Alexis. It wasn't until they were out of the judge's chambers and in the hallway that Dara let out a squeal of delight and Stefan reached out and hugged his sister warmly.

"You see, little one? It's all going to work out."

Ric watched the loving and tender bond between Alexis and her brother. He knew they'd warred with each other more than once over the years, but clearly their devotion to one another always won out. It was a relationship he knew he would never share with his own sibling, but rather than envy it, he just watched in awe and felt gratitude that Alexis had that kind of love in her life.

"I can't believe it. I was so sure that the Quartermaines had..." Alexis' voice trailed off. "I'm just..."

"Hey, it's okay to be a little surprised," Ric said, his arm going lightly around her waist. "This 'having things going your way' thing takes some getting used to. Trust me, I know."

His wink made her smile, and the tension in her body finally dissipated fully. Dara congratulated her client again, then headed back to the office, and Stefan excused himself to go call Nikolas and share the good news. That left Alexis and Ric alone as they walked out to the parking garage.

"So what are you going to do first," he asked, "the park, shopping, dinner at Kelly's?"

Alexis drew in a deep breath, her dimples deep as a true, real smile lit her face and her eyes. "I have a very special place I want to take her, actually. Somewhere I wanted to show her, just the two of us."

"Ah, the lady loves a mystery," Ric teased. "Well, I'd like to celebrate, too. Will you be done with this secret errand by dinnertime?"

"I'd imagine so," she said, "but I'm not sure we're up for dinner out. We're both still a little pooped from the teething-a-thon."

Ric smiled. Dinner out was the last thing he'd had in mind. All day he'd thought about telling Alexis of his plans for tonight, but now he realized he didn't just want to tell her, he wanted to share it with her.

"No dinner out. Why don't you guys come to my place when you're done? We'll eat in, be comfortable."

"You can cook?" Alexis asked, genuinely shocked.

"Just say yes," Ric replied, carefully avoiding giving her an answer. "I've got some budget breakdowns to do for Nikolas on those property sales, and since I'm guessing you're done working for the day, I'll just head home and knock those out. You two come over whenever you're ready."

"Okay, then. Dinner at your place it is."

The sound of approaching footsteps pulled their eyes away from one another and toward the noise. Stefan rounded the corner and headed for them.

"Nikolas says Kristina is happily awaiting your return home, and that she ate all your mashed potatoes."

The threesome laughed, and Ric bid the siblings good-bye, then headed toward his own car as they made their way to Stefan's. He waited until he'd pulled out of the parking structure before flipping open his phone and hitting the number he needed to call.

"Hi, it's Ric. I, um, I invited someone else to dinner tonight, I hope that's okay? Great. I'll see you then."

Ric closed the phone, dropped it on the passenger seat, and then turned right heading for the large baby furniture store he'd driven by 100 times. He would need a highchair for one of his special visitors.

He drove on, oblivious to the car that followed behind him, unconcerned about the man who jotted down notes about who the attorney had talked to and where he was going so that Sonny Corinthos didn't miss a single detail about what was happening in Ric Lansing's life.

*****

Alexis waited until Kristina woke from her nap before she dressed her daughter for dinner with Uncle Ric, then triple-checked the diaper bag to make sure she had everything they might need, including some Orajel in case sore gums became an issue again tonight. Once she was satisfied she had everything, Alexis picked up her baby girl and headed for the door.

It felt odd and amazing and long overdue for her to walk out of the house with her daughter in her arms and no one else about. There were no guards, no meddling outsiders, and no one with any right to stop Alexis Davis from going anywhere she wanted to go with her own child.

She chose not to dwell on how many people had stood in the way of this moment or of all the mistakes she herself wished she could go back and change. Alexis just wanted to enjoy being a mother without an audience, and she was finally going to get to do the one thing she'd wanted most to do with her daughter.

The drive was quiet except for Kristina babbling in her car seat, and Alexis had to fight the urge to keep looking back to reassure herself the sounds were real and not her imagination. She'd only ever had her baby with her alone in the car when they'd been hiding out after Skye and A.J.'s botched "kidnapping" plot.

Once they arrived at their destination, Alexis parked and then went to the rear passenger side to retrieve her daughter. Kristina smiled at her, and Alexis kissed her forehead.

"There's someplace mommy wants to show you, sweetheart."

They rode in the elevator, then made the quick trip down the hallway. Alexis put the key in the lock, turned it and then reached inside to flip on the light switch.

"Kristina, this is our home."

Alexis walked into the apartment and shut the door behind her. She strolled through the living room as the baby looked all around, taking in her surroundings.

"This is where we're going to live when you're all mine again, and we can finally come live in our very own place."

She had dreamed of this for months, of bringing her little girl home to start their life together. Of course, today wasn't the way she'd envisioned it originally. They weren't yet really "coming home," and Kristina wasn't exactly the tiny baby she'd once thought she'd be carrying... but it was still their moment, their first time together in their very own home.

"You want to see your room? Remember how mommy told you about it?"

Kristina pulled the corner of Alexis jacket collar into her mouth and started chewing on it, but the happy mother decided to take that as a yes. They made the journey to the nursery Alexis had set up months ago. The stars that hung from the ceiling immediately caught the little girl's attention, and she reached up and began batting them around.

"See? Mommy knew you'd like those. I saw them in a magazine, and I thought, 'what little girl wouldn't want her very own stars to wish on at night?'"

They toured the room, Alexis showing Kristina her bed and her blankets and the toys that would keep Lamby Pie company when they finally came home. Kristina listened attentively as she pointed things out, then snuggled into Alexis shoulder with a contented sigh.

"Someday soon, little one. Someday soon, we'll be home."

It was a promise she finally felt like she could make.

Their special tour completed, Alexis and Kristina returned to the car and made the short drive to Ric's place. He answered the door promptly after they rang the bell.

"Hey! I'm glad you guys are here."

He welcomed them inside, and they were met with heavenly aromas. Garlic and fresh bread mingled in the air and made Alexis' stomach growl.

"Wow. It smells wonderful," she said.

"Yeah, it's gonna be great. Here, let me hold her so you can get comfortable."

Kristina happily went into her uncle's arms and Alexis shrugged off her coat, then worked Kristina out of hers while she looked around the apartment and took in the fresh flowers on the dining room table and the pristine, shiny highchair sitting at one end of it.

"You thought of everything, I see."

Ric followed her gaze, then turned back smiling. "I wanted everyone to be comfortable. I picked up a portable crib, too, and set it up in the bedroom, in case she wants to fall asleep before you're ready to go."

His thoughtfulness amazed her. For a man who claimed to have had little regard for other people before the last month of so, Alexis found Ric to be a caring and giving man. She hoped that soon enough, he'd start to see that in himself.

"So what's for dinner?" she asked. "And really, I had no idea you could cook."

Kristina reached for her mother and headed back to her embrace as Ric laughed. "I actually can't. I didn't cook. I, um, I have a special guest for dinner tonight who does cook... and, well, I really wanted you to be here and be a part of this."

Alexis was looking at him curiously about to ask who this guest was when the kitchen door swung open and Gloria Cerullo stepped into the living room.

"There they are, and just in time. Dinner's ready. Oh! And this must be the beautiful little girl I've heard so much about."

She was surprised, to say the least, but Alexis recovered quickly and turned Kristina more toward Gloria as the little girl leaned shyly against her mother.

"Yes, this is the love of my life. Kristina, this is Mrs. Cerullo."

The brunette extended her hand to the baby, who cautiously reached out and touched her fingers down in the open palm. Gloria closed her hand over Kristina's and then kissed her fingers.

"You are gonna be a heartbreaker, young lady, no question."

"No doubt about that," Ric added.

"All right, well, time for dinner," Gloria commanded. "And once we get settled, we'll get started talking about Adella. By the way, did I tell you how happy I am that you called?"

Her hand brushed against Ric's cheek, and he blushed. "You might have mentioned that, yeah."

"Well, I am," Gloria said. "Now you three get to the table, and I'll be out in a minute."

Alexis watched as the motherly woman made her way to the kitchen, then she leaned toward Ric.

"Are you sure you want us here for this?"

Ric reached out his hand gently and briefly caressed her cheek. "I really want to share this with you. I'm only ready to learn about my mom because of you."

She stared at him and read the sincerity and the genuine need in his eyes. Then Alexis smiled and offered him her right hand.

"Then I'm happy to be here."

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