So a few months ago, Jen (jlm121) and I were pondering how we could use November sweeps to build a story we'd want to see. A big hunk of this is hers, and she's graciously letting me go on with it 'cause I need something about GH to write that doesn't make me sad. So here's the first part...




"Sonny and Alexis, can you believe it?" It was probably the fifteenth or sixteenth time Lois had uttered the words since she'd sat down at the table. Lorenzo didn't reply, he didn't need to because the question wasn't really addressed to him. He wondered if Lois even realized he was at the table. Her appeal was wearing thin, the smart mouth and the accent were beginning to grate upon his nerves, and the sexual chemistry between them seemed to have evaporated. He'd been grateful for her concern after Sage's death, but part of him knew that she had been with him as much to watch him as to comfort him. He suspected that she, like most of Port Charles, believed there was a madman lurking under his relatively cool facade. They weren't completely wrong though many had misjudged his targets and his reasoning.

"So what's been up with you?" Lois' bright eyes finally seemed to focus upon him and he shifted uncomfortably. Any half-hearted reply that he might have given was stifled by the ring of his cell phone.

"Alcazar."

"It's time." The deep voice on the other end of the connection was curt but there were few explanations needed.

"Are you sure?" Lorenzo stood holding his hand out to Lois in a gesture requesting both her understanding and her silence.

"Kristina's father is not a match nor is any of his family. There is a chance for the stem cells, but from what I understand Sam is reluctant. You need to bring Kristina and Alexis to me immediately."

"There could be issues."

"Alexis will do what is best for her child. You still have the medallion?"

"Yes."

"Show it to her. Offer what explanations you must except to tell her about me. Time is of the essence."

"And if extreme measures are required?"

"They are the last resort. Only if necessary and you can't not convince her through other means."

"Understood."

"Corinthos and Lansing are not to know what is going on. They would provide an unnecessary and unwelcome distraction for Alexis."

Lorenzo knew personally what kind of issues Sonny Corinthos and Ric Lansing might present.

"Alexis and Kristina must make it here tonight." The seriousness in the other man's tone was unmistakable. Lorenzo had very seldom heard that grave tone from him.

"You have my word."

"You have always abided by your word, Lorenzo. I expect nothing less from you now. Bring Kristina and Alexis to me tonight." There was a pause and then a sigh of breath. "Please."

The quiet plea from this man meant more than any demand ever could. Before Lorenzo could say anything else the connection was broken.

Lois noticed the intense expression on Lorenzo's face and grew concerned. "Everything okay?"

"Something has come up. A bit of an emergency."

"Anything I can do?"

"It's business." He knew his tone was cryptic but there was no other way to explain.

"Okay. You sure that's all?"

Lorenzo nodded distractedly and put his cell phone away in his jacket, his mind already on things that needed to be done once he was safely out of the range of Lois' eyes and ears.

"Just business. I am sorry I have to go." Before she could even voice a token protest or express anything other concern, he had brushed a kiss over her cheek and left the restaurant.

*****

"Hey, baby." Alexis leaned over the crib rail and pressed a soft kiss on to Kristina's forehead. The little girl moved listlessly, Lamby Pie caught in a headlock and pressed tightly to her tiny chest. Alexis smoothed the dark curls back from the little girl's face and tried to smile. The few moments alone with her daughter were a blessing. Between Ric and Sonny, they had been constantly surrounded as of late. Alexis frowned at the thought. Those two men seemed to represent the boundaries of her life, herself and Kristina caught between them, being pulled painfully in each direction. The possibility of just a few moments without either one of them was a respite, and she had no intention of wasting it.

Ric was trying and Alexis could not have asked any more of him. Her husband. The thought seemed so foreign to her. When she had been married to Jax, it had been like a game. This time was far more serious with consequences that could destroy her entire life.

"Mama." Kristina released her stuffed lamb and held her arms out. Alexis leaned over and picked her daughter up, shifting her so Kristina's head rested on her shoulder. Stroking her baby's back, Alexis hummed softly and shuffled gently around the room. She couldn't lose Kristina. Not the thing she loved most in her entire life; her reason for being. Anything that she had to do, she would. She would deal with Sonny. Well, on that point, Alexis knew it was more like she would have to, but first she had to get her little girl better. She hoped that Sam would help. The stem cells seemed to be the last shot. She hadn't handled her encounter with Sam very well, but she felt little sympathy for the other woman. She had lived her entire pregnancy in fear and almost lost her own child. Kristina had been born far earlier than 38 weeks and if being yelled at induced early labor, Kristina would have probably popped into the world as early as 14 weeks. Alexis understood Sam's fear, but she could not accept her refusal to help Kristina.

Alexis moved slowly around the room until she felt Kristina's head resting heavily on her shoulder and she could hear the deep and even breathing of her baby girl. Carefully, she deposited her back in the hospital crib and put Lamby Pie within arm's reach.

"You have to get better, Little One."

Alexis checked her watch. Ric had left almost an hour ago, heading for the courthouse to get a restraining order barring Sonny from Kristina's hospital room. Alexis wasn't sure if it was the right move, but it was something. She had to make sure Sonny understood that she would not let him take Kristina. Even now, there could be no sign of weakness.

Of course she was relying on Sonny to convince Sam to donate her unborn child's stem cells. There was simply no winning in this. She needed Sonny even if she didn't want to need him. He was Kristina's only chance of survival and that was killing Alexis. Sonny was still dangerous and demanding and Alexis knew that retribution awaited her even if Kristina got well. Her only protection was her marriage to Ric and that seemed to be a defense that was suspect. Alexis put her head in her hands and tried not to cry.

Lorenzo watched her through the open door into Kristina's room. He'd never seen her like this. She appeared defeated, something he had never associated with her. He stepped quietly into the room and closed the door behind him. He needed her full attention and to cut off any possible escape route she might pursue. He cleared his throat to announce his presence. She turned her head just a fraction, catching sight of him out of the corner of her eye, then instantly she was on her feet. She backed herself against the crib, her arms out as if to shield it from him.

"What are you doing here?"

"Believe it or not, I am here to help you."

"I don't believe it. Have you come here to gloat or to threaten? Or is this just a chance to see me hurt?"

"Alexis."

"Get out before I call hospital security."

"I can help you save Kristina's life."

"How dare you? That you would even think to come to me here and try to use my daughter's life to manipulate me."

Lorenzo said nothing but reached into his pocket. "I can take you to someone who can save her. Someone who is a matching donor."

Alexis felt her knees weaken and wondered if they would hold her. "Then bring them here." Her voice trembled.

"I can't. I need to take you to them."

Alexis could feel the trap close around her and she reached back, holding onto the bars of the crib for support. "No, she can't be moved. Your donor will have to come here. But there really isn't a donor, is there? This is just some cruel hoax. You want to hurt me, I understand that, but to toy with my daughter's life..."

Lorenzo knew he did not have the words to convince her. Her knuckles were white as she clutched the crib and her whole body shook. Talking was useless. He drew his hand out of his pocket and held it before her. The gold medallion dangling from its chain caught the harsh fluorescent light.

"Where did you get that?" Alexis wanted to grab the medallion from his hand and inspect it more closely, but she would not let go of the crib or move away from it.

"It's my proof, Alexis, my proof that I can take you someplace safe, someplace where Kristina's life can be saved."

Ache spread through Alexis and she began to sob. "You're lying. You couldn't."

Lorenzo hazarded another step closer to just within arms reach, and held the medallion out to her.

"There is a medical team outside those doors, Alexis. A doctor and a nurse who will make sure Kristina is safe and comfortable. There is an ambulance waiting downstairs to take us to my plane. You just have to agree."

Her legs would no longer hold her and she sank to her knees, her hand still clinging to the railing of the crib. He crouched in front of her, offering her his hand.

"We don't have much time Alexis. We can save Kristina, but we have to go now."

Desperation shown in her eyes and she reached for the medallion in his hand. He allowed her to take it but caught her wrist, holding it so she could not draw away from him.

"You won't hurt her. Please. Please."

"I swear no harm will come to either of you. We have to go, Alexis."

She studied his face for a moment, seeing the seriousness in his eyes. She barely nodded but it was enough for him. He let go of her wrist, watching as she studied the medallion for a moment and then pressed it to her chest.

"He's alive?"

Lorenzo just nodded and helped her from the floor. He waited a moment until he was sure she was steady on her feet then went to the door and opened it. The doctor and nurse moved quickly, transferring Kristina to another crib without even waking the child. Lorenzo took what appeared to be Alexis' purse and a bag of Kristina's things from the other side of the room before he came back to Alexis. She still held the medallion to her chest as she watched them wheel Kristina out of the room. Lorenzo offered her his hand.

"Why are you doing this?"

"This isn't the time or place for questions. I'll tell you more on the plane."

*****

Sonny absently walked into the wall as he tried to make his way back to Kristina's room. Pain dully registered in his shoulder, but it did little more than make him glance toward his arm as if a fly had tickled his skin.

The baby was dead.

He felt... he wasn't sure what, actually. He was sad, but he didn't feel the enormous sense of loss that had nearly killed him when Lily and their baby had died or when he and Carly's son had been lost. And the knot in his gut that appeared every time he saw how listless and weak Kristina was getting was absent now.

Kristina... the very thought of her name brought a familiar feeling of desperation. She was so sick. But now the stem cells that might save her life were on their way to the lab, the consent form finally signed by his hand. Sonny had to believe Sam would understand. Their baby was gone now, but Kristina had a chance, and even though there was no guarantee this would work, they had to try.

As he rounded the corner of the hallway where his little girl lay, hopefully resting, Sonny paused. What would he say to Alexis when he saw her? He'd been furious at her last they'd spoken, but he'd left it with him going to talk to Sam again, with her not knowing how seriously ill Sam was. The doctors had told him and Jason both that nothing Alexis had done was responsible for this. She might have upset Sam, but she couldn't have caused the abnormality that had claimed the baby's life. But he'd treated her like she had. And Sonny didn't know how to walk in the room and take it back now and say that he'd signed the papers to give up the cells that might save Kristina's life and he agreed, that was all they should be focusing on now. He sensed that no matter how he delivered the news, she'd still look at him with those defensive, broken brown eyes and think he blamed her for the loss of his other child.

God, he was furious with her. Sonny knew his anger at Alexis was as strong as it had ever been with any human being. But the truth was, it was all over Kristina--over her not trusting him with their daughter, over her lying to him. He was using any excuse he could find to lash out at her, even her doing whatever it took to try to get through to Sam. But it all boiled down to one thing for him--she hadn't trusted him. And he wasn't sure he could ever forgive her for that.

Sonny sighed and moved toward the room. He'd just tell her.

"I don't think so."

His brother's voice halted Sonny's footsteps. He turned to see Ric walking up to him with a piece of paper in his hand.

"As an officer of the court, I'm doing my duty in serving you with this."

Black text and an official looking seal caught Sonny's attention. He grabbed the paper from Ric's hand and scanned it, his neck tightening with every word.

"A restraining order?"

"You don't get to go near Kristina unless Alexis says you can, and given the way you've been treating her, I'm guessing that will be... never."

It was the last straw--he'd seen Jason grieving over Sam's lost child, accepted that his daughter was dead and he was worried sick about Kristina. Sonny's hands were on his brother before he could think. He could vaguely hear someone saying "stop it, stop it," from nearby, but the words fell on deaf ears as he slammed Ric's back into the nearest wall.

"Michael, stop it!"

The use of his real name got Sonny's attention, and though he did not loosen his hold on his adversary, he looked to his right and saw his father's blue eyes blazing at him.

"This isn't helping Kristina."

His little girl. Sonny shook his head and jerked his hands off Ric's lapels, moving backwards. He had to tell Alexis they could try to save their little girl. Ric could wait.

"I need to talk to Alexis," he said, turning toward the room again. Ric quickly rushed to the door, cutting him off.

"I'll tell her you need to speak to her. Restraining order, remember?"

Sonny remembered the piece of paper he'd dropped in favor of ringing his brother's neck. He bent down to pick it up as Ric smirked and pushed open the door of Kristina's hospital room.

"Alexis, Sonny needs--"

The beat of silence after Ric's voice trailed off lasted barely a second, but it was long enough for Sonny to know something was wrong. He shoved the legal paperwork into his pocket and pushed past his brother.

The room was empty.

"Where the hell are they?"

"What kind of game are you playing?"

The accusations were spoken on top of each other and the raised voices and angry tones drew Mike to the doorway.

"Where... where is Kristina? Did they take her for some tests or something?"

"No one told me about any tests," Sonny answered.

"Well, believe it or not, Sonny, they don't have to clear anything about Kristina's treatment with you because you have no legal rights here," Ric stated coolly.

"How about we find a nurse or a doctor and ask, or are you two gonna knock each other around some more?" Mike asked.

The two younger men stared at each other, both wanting to find out where Alexis and Kristina were, but both feeling the pull of their natural blood feud. Finally, Ric walked away and headed toward a passing nurse.

"Excuse me, did they take Kristina Davis for some tests?"

The nurse shook her head. "She wasn't scheduled for any, but I can page Dr. Webber for you if you'd like."

"Get him down here now," Sonny commanded, getting a look of shock and annoyance from the nurse in reply.

"I swear to God," Ric said as he turned sharply toward his brother, "if you've pulled something and are trying to play innocent… Kristina is too sick for your damn games, Sonny."

"I'm not the one who's been playing games here," Sonny said defensively. "What, did you and Alexis have her transferred to another hospital without telling me?"

"Wh--are you insane?"

"It sounds like something you'd do, Mr. D.A."

"More likely you had your men sneak in here and take Kristina somewhere where you can have all the control and now you're trying to act all surprised she's gone because that's just like you to try to lie your way out of every crime you commit."

"I would not risk my daughter's health by moving her when we finally have a way to treat her."

"And I wouldn't risk my stepdaughter's life by playing some stupid game with you."

Mike put his arm between the two men, creating a barrier as they inched ever closer toward each other.

"Why don't you both act like adults? My God, you aren't little boys fighting over a toy. This is my granddaughter you're talking about, and if she's not somewhere in this hospital and neither of you knows where they are, then what the hell is going on here?"

The two men who shared a mother and a mutual hatred found another common bond as Mike's words sank in. Fear. Because if they were telling the truth, though they both still doubted one another... where were Kristina and Alexis?"

"You wanted to see me?" Steven Webber walked up to the three men, but he nearly stepped back at the sense of intensity coming at him.

"Did you take Kristina somewhere for tests or something?" Sonny asked.

"Wh--No. Kristina should be in her room," the doctor replied as he rushed toward the door. He opened it and found the same thing the others had.

"Where's Alexis?"

"We don't know," Ric said.

"Could she have gone to check on Sam?" Sonny asked.

"I just left Sam's room," Steven told them. "I was actually coming to tell you the test came back saying the stem cells are viable and then I got your page."

Ric pulled out his cell phone and dialed. He held it to his ear anxiously, and it was evident when the other end picked up because his words tumbled out.

"Alexis, thank god."

But then he stopped, and he sadly looked down at the phone as he shut it off.

"It's her voice mail."

They all stood there a moment, not sure what else to do. And then Mac Scorpio appeared, rushing toward them.

"Ric, I'm glad I found you. I'm going to post a guard here on Kristina's room. I don't think she was serious, but just in case."

"Wait, you don't think who was serious about what?"

Mac seemed surprised by Ric's question. "You mean no one called you?"

"Called about what?" Sonny's query sounding more like a demand than a question.

"Faith Roscoe escaped from prison."

Older brother and younger brother registered the threat at the same time. Faith had sworn revenge on all of them--Sonny, Alexis and Ric. And what better target was there than...

"I'm... I'm gonna call hospital security."

Steven rushed to the nurses' station and the phone. Mac looked at all the men's faces and noted their worry.

"What is it?"

"Kristina and Alexis." Ric explained, fear choking off his words as he looked back at the empty hospital room. "No one knows where they are."

***

"Ms. Davis, you need to let go."

Alexis knew someone was speaking to her, but she wasn't sure who it was. Her hand was clutching Kristina's as men she assumed were servants of the elaborate island estate steadied the small hospital bed on the dock.

"Alexis."

Her name this time, and a different voice. She turned to see Lorenzo Alcazar standing beside her.

"They need to get her inside and into a sterile environment. You'll be back with her in 20 minutes, I swear it."

"The donor is here?" she asked, the quiver in her voice belying the fear and doubt she was feeling. Had she made a mistake coming here? Had she just cost her little girl her life by trusting in someone she knew wished them harm?

"The donor is here," Lorenzo assured her. "These preparations have been in the making since we learned Kristina was ill. She'll have the best of everything."

The doctor who had flown with them put his hand gently on her shoulder. "I'll stay with her until you're back by her side, I promise."

There was no denying the edge of near hysteria creeping up inside of her. Alexis could see so many nightmarish scenarios coming of this. What if they whisked her baby away, taking her forever? It was absolutely believable for her to think someone could be that cruel. She had grown up in Helena's house, after all.

Eyes closing, Alexis felt the hand not grasping Kristina's close over the medallion, the chain biting into her skin from the grip. She had believed enough to come. She had to believe that this time, this one time, her faith would be completely rewarded.

"I love you, baby," she whispered, leaning down close to the plastic canopy the nurse had tented over Kristina's bed to help minimize her outdoor exposure. "I'll see you in a few minutes."

The little girl gave a sleepy nod, too tired to be afraid. She drew her hand back as Alexis released it and let it fall atop Lamby as the doctor, nurse and their helpers carried the bed up the dock until they could roll the wheels along the walkway.

"Come," Lorenzo said, his hand raising to gain her attention, but stopping short of touching down on her shoulder. "There is someone you need to see."

Following the direction of his hand, Alexis started up the dock, taking the steps that Kristina's bearers had been unable to navigate. She could feel the dark man's presence behind her, but the threat he normally made her feel was absent. She was still terrified, but Alexis sensed that Lorenzo did mean it when he swore Kristina would not be harmed. It was all that truly mattered to Alexis, that and the possibility of help that supposedly awaited her daughter.

His promised explanation aboard the plane had come in bits and pieces and had, frankly, still made no sense in Alexis' overtired mind. He had spoken of past business dealings with the Cassadines and a debt owed, but just as Lorenzo had been about to explain how he'd come to possess the medallion, Kristina had woken and demanded her mother's full attention. By the time the little girl had been quieted, Alexis was ready to drop. Lorenzo had nearly carried her back to the sofa where he had drawn a blanket over her and told her to rest.

[I]"I've given you my word. I will not break it. Your daughter is as safe her as if she were my own."[/I]

Her natural distrust had made her fight sleep, but finally she had drifted off. Now they were here on this mysterious island, and Alexis' nerves were on overload. Her fingers toyed with the piece of intricately designed jewelry Lorenzo had given her as his proof, the chain looping around her digits, the medallion itself shifting from palm to palm. Alexis felt as if she were holding a magic key that would somehow make all of this clear to her, and if it meant what she hoped, if it meant what Lorenzo was indicating to her, then...

He was running toward them. Alexis could count on one hand the times she'd seen him run as an adult, the action too undignified for a man of his stature, according to him. But now he was running, the sandy blonde hair light from hours in the sun, his beard trimmed neatly, and also lighter than she remembered it.

Her breath caught as he neared. He looked older, much older than she remembered. And though his smile brought a sense of ease into his face, she could see scars at his left temple and along his jaw line.

"Hello, Alexis."

His voice reached her and Alexis began to cry. God, how had she missed it? How had she not noticed that the life in this voice had been missing from the man who come to Port Charles and tried to destroy all that she loved? It was there... all the years of love and friendship and pain and betrayal and rediscovery... their life together lived in his voice and she knew that it was real.

"Stefan."

She ran to him now, her arms flying around him, her breath cut off by the strength of his embrace. This was her brother. This was the man who had wished her well and left for Italy. This was the man who still loved her and would move heaven and earth for her… and, it seemed, for her daughter.

"Shh," he whispered, reading her thoughts as only her brother could. "The questions all have answers, Alexis, and I promise you, you shall have every last one. But for now... for now, I think we should go up to the house so I can meet my beautiful niece."

Alexis nodded against his shoulder, unwilling to let him go just yet. She felt Stefan also squeeze her against him again, reluctant as well to release her. Finally, she stepped back, her hand dropping to clasp his as their eyes met.

"I don't know how you did all this, but..."

"Later," he said, cutting her off.

It wasn't until Stefan's eyes shifted from her to just behind her that Alexis remembered they were not alone. Lorenzo was standing a polite distance away, his arms crossed in front of him.

"We'll speak later," her brother said.

"I'll be in my suite when you're ready," came Lorenzo's reply.

Stefan nodded then started toward the house, his hand pulling at Alexis' to draw her along after him. Though she felt she was in a dream, a fog clouding most of her rational thought right now, the words "my suite" penetrated and took up a position to be addressed once she knew Kristina was safely settled.

"You need not worry, Alexis. I'm sure Lorenzo told you, we have the very best of everything here to care for Kristina."

The sound of her brother's voice was having an amazing calming effect on Alexis, and for the first time in days, she felt like she could breathe fully, her lungs no longer held prisoner by the anxiety of wondering what bad news was coming next or what argument was going to start out in the hospital hallway. She was walking through a mystery worthy of her family's gothic reputation, but Alexis only knew that Stefan was holding her hand and leading her toward a room where he promised a cure awaited them. Hope began to peek out from inside the place it had gone to hide in her heart.

She barely noticed the house as they entered and made their way up the stairs to the third floor of the mammoth structure. When they reached the fourth door along the hallway, Stefan opened it to reveal a setup that rivaled any Alexis had seen in GH throughout their ordeal there.

What had likely been a master suite in the house had been converted into a state-of-the-art medical lab and hospital room. On the side where they entered, Alexis saw stacks of scrubs and gloves ready for use, a host of monitors and scores of testing equipment she couldn't even begin to name. A glass partition stood off to her right, and behind that, she saw Kristina laying in a new hospital-styled crib, her little eyes closed in sleep despite the three nurses who were hovering around setting up her I.V. and monitors. The doctor from the plane was also there, keeping his promise to watch over Kristina until Alexis was with her again.

"We've already established that as our sterile environment," a man said in a smooth British accent. His voice made Alexis turn. He appeared to be in his late 40s, early 50s, and he wore surgical scrubs.

"I'm Dr. Winston Mayhue. I'm head of hematology at The London School of Medicine. And I promise you, I will take excellent care of your little girl, Ms. Davis."

The doctor offered his hand and Alexis took it, shaking it firmly.

"You can do the procedure here?" she asked. Mayhue nodded.

"We have a second suite setup for the marrow collection and the transplant. I promise you, it's as safe as any operating room you'll find in the best of hospitals."

Her eyes shifted back unconsciously toward her little girl. The nurses had her settled now and they were making their way toward them.

"You can go in with her, but we'd like you to wear a gown and scrub up," Dr. Mayhue continued. "We're going to have to kill off the rest of Kristina's bone marrow, and it's important we keep her risk of infection to a minimum until her new marrow is functioning."

Stefan's hand came to rest on her back and Alexis leaned against it. He eased her forward to where the sink was located, and they took turns washing their hands. Two nurses came over and helped them into gowns and then they turned to face Dr. Mayhue again.

"Mr. Cassadine, we'll need to start the collection procedure soon."

Her brother nodded. "I understand."

Alexis walked to the doorway into Kristina's part of the room. A nurse slid it back for her and Stefan followed behind. She saw that Lamby Pie was now wrapped in plastic, but the beloved toy was once again in her daughter's tight hold as Kristina rested.

"Our little princess," Stefan whispered and Alexis smiled.

"She's my whole life."

Just then, Alexis' "whole life" opened her eyes and reached out her hand, beckoning her mother.

"Hello, my love," Alexis said as she neared and took hold of her little girl's hand. "Are you and Lamby all tucked in?"

Kristina nodded her head slightly, then shifted her eyes to the man standing on the other side of her bed. She raised her other hand, pointing to him.

"This is your Uncle Stefan, sweetheart. He's mommy's big brother, and he used to protect me and keep me safe when I was little just like I do for you now."

Stefan leaned down and took Kristina's hand in his, kissing it. "And now I shall look after you, too, because that is what uncles do. Also, spoiling -- I am very good at spoiling. In fact, when you get well, I have a whole room full of toys and clothes waiting for you."

Alexis felt her eyes well up at the sight before her. Long ago she had dreamed of her brother fussing over his niece in that very uniquely "Stefan" way. She'd thought that fantasy dead when Ste--when whoever had died in Port Charles posing as her brother had been lost. Now it was a reality, and despite all the worry over her daughter that still weighed so heavily on her, Alexis felt happiness.

"You're sure that it's all right for you to do this?" she asked, her concern now shifting to her resurrected sibling. She had no idea what Stefan had been through except that it had taken a huge toll on him. The scars she could see spoke to how deep the unseen ones must be.

"Alexis, about that..." Stefan gave Kristina's little hand another kiss before he set it down and crossed to the opposite side of the bed, his hands settling on Alexis' shoulders.

"There is a donor that we know is a suitable match. But it's... it's not me."

She shook her head, unsure of what she'd heard. "Not you?" Alexis glanced at her daughter, then back at Stefan. "But who else could there be? We... we had everyone tested. There was no one else."

"I know, and we only waited because we had hoped Nikolas or someone in Corinthos' family might have been able to help. When it became clear that wasn't going to happen... that the McCall woman's unborn child might be the only answer, we knew that whatever thoughts we had of slowly revealing all this to you had to be set aside. Kristina's all that matters now."

The familiar fear that seemed to run Alexis' life crept into her gut again. She tried to pull back from her brother's hold, but he would not release her.

"He'll explain everything when he can," Stefan explained. "But for now, you just need to focus on getting your daughter well."

"Who will explain what?" She began to shake and Stefan firmed his hold even more. "What is going on, Stefan? Who is the donor?"

"I am, Natasha."

Alexis' eyes darted to the doorway and the voice. Her body's shaking increased ten fold as she took in who was standing there, and she felt Stefan move so that his arms could wrap around her for support as she spoke aloud the name that was now dominating her every thought as she stared at the man it belonged to.

"Mi--Mikkos?"

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