"Frisco?"

"Yo! Frisco!"

"Annnndeeeee." Tony frowned when his brother continued to stare off into space. Using Frisco’s real name never failed to get his attention. Except for today. Frisco had been preoccupied and moody since the shooting at the Scorpio’s. While Frisco had reluctantly agreed to meet him in the hospital cafeteria for lunch, Tony felt like he’d been talking to himself the whole time. He decided Frisco’s attitude had to do with one of two things: Faison or Felicia.

"Earth to Andrew!" Tony was startled when Frisco snapped out of daydream and stared at him with a strange intensity.

"What did you say"

"Uh…I was just trying to get your atten – "

"What did you say?" Frisco demanded.

"I said ‘earth to Andrew’. What the hell is wrong with you? You’ve been moping around all week and today, after I finally drag you out in public, you ignore me the whole time. What’s going on?"

"Nothing," Frisco said quickly as he took a sudden interest in his now cold hamburger.

"Don’t give me that crap! Who do you think you’re talking to? Are you in some kind of danger?" At his brother’s sarcastic look, Tony sighed. "Let me rephrase that. Are you in more danger than normal? You know, normal for you?"

"Tony…"

"Do I need to worry more than usual?"

"I don’t want to talk about it."

"Well isn’t that too bad because I want to talk about it!"

"Don’t start with me! You have no idea, all right? Just butt out!"

Tony’s reply was cut off by his beeper. His swore softly under his breath as he looked at the number on the screen.

"I’ve got to get upstairs," he said as he stood. "We’re going to finish this conversation later." As he left the cafeteria, Tony saw Frisco childishly mimicking him. "I saw that!" he called back over shoulder.

Frisco scowled at his brother’s retreating back. Sometimes Tony was a little too perceptive. He’d been trying to avoid both Tony and Anna as much as possible. They both knew him too well. He knew they’d keep pushing until they dragged it out him. He just wasn’t ready to talk about it yet.

His last conversation with Felicia had been weighing on his mind for a week.

"What are your plans when all this is over?" she had asked.

"I honestly don’t know," was the best he could do.

"Frisco…you need to decide what you’re going to do. Georgie has been talking about you all night. She and Maxie need to know what to expect when this is over. If you’re not going to stick around…maybe you should keep your distance. It’s going to hurt enough when you leave again."

He didn’t know what to do. Before coming back to Port Charles, he had decided to stay and fight for his family. He knew Mac and Felicia had been through a rough patch and hoped – shamefully – that it would help him win her back. But now, after seeing them together… They seemed happy. Maxie and Georgie seemed happy. Maybe he should take Felicia’s advice and just get the hell out of Dodge.

He wasn’t ready to give up just yet though. He had been trying to find a way to explain to Felicia why he’d left her and Maxie in Texas. Why it was so important for him to help Robert find Anna and keep them both safe. Why it was so important for him to stay away for all of those years. The only thing he’d come up with that he knew would get through to her was Andrew. Tiny baby Andrew lying in his grave before he ever had the chance to live. That would convince Felicia that he had stayed away to protect her and their daughters, that he had been fighting for something good.

The problem with that idea was that Frisco didn’t feel he had the right to tell anyone about Andrew. For any reason. Certainly not for his own selfish gain. It was up to Anna and Robert to decide if and when people knew about their son and he wasn’t about to ask them to tell Felicia before they were ready. He’d had a little taste of breaking that kind of news to someone; telling Anna that BJ was dead was one of the hardest things he’d ever had to do.

Frisco put his head in his hands and sighed in disgust. Tony had scared the hell out of him; all he heard was the name "Andrew". He had been afraid he was talking out loud. What the hell am I supposed to do now? He was going to get himself killed – or worse – if he couldn’t get his head together. Frisco got up and threw away the rest of his lunch; he’d barely eaten anything. He supposed he should apologize to his brother for acting like a baby. And should Tony happen to badger him into telling him what was wrong… A second opinion couldn’t hurt, right?

*****

Jason reached Harborview Towers in record time after racing his motorcycle through the streets of Port Charles at a dangerous, almost suicidal, pace. The searing pain he’d felt in his chest when he saw Robin walk into Parker’s arms had lessened to a dull ache.

He’d blown it. It was over. He’d finally managed to screw everything up and chase her away. He treated Robin badly and caused her to leave him. He threw her letters back in her face and let her think he didn’t give a damn about their children. He hurt her time and again. And for some stupid reason he thought she’d run right back to him if he said "Gee, Robin, I’m real sorry".

On the freezing, white-knuckled ride back to the penthouse, Jason decided to leave town after all. Robin was obviously getting on with her life just like he always knew she would. Hadn’t she already done that once? She had been engaged to someone else. Someone who had the sense to hang onto her. It would be easier for everyone involved if he were out of the picture.

Inside the penthouse, Jason was stunned to find Sonny hunched over the small table, reading Robin’s letters. Shock and outrage left him momentarily speechless. Sonny stood and beat him to the punch.

"Where the hell have you been?" he demanded. Jason was confused by his anger. Confused and infuriated. "You better not have been within ten feet of her or so help me God I’ll – "

"What Sonny? What are you going to do?" Jason stormed across the room and began gathering Robin’s things into a pile. "These are private! You had no right to read them!"

"I… I had no right?" Sonny asked incredulously. "What about you? Where did you get this stuff? And don’t tell me Robin gave it to you because she never would have given you that diary!"

"None of your business!"

"What’d you do, Jason, steal it?" Sonny could tell by the fleeting guilty look that crossed his friend’s face that Jason had done exactly that.

"I can’t believe you!" Sonny exclaimed. "You tell her to leave you alone, threaten her with a restraining order and then steal her diary? What the hell is wrong with you? Don’t you think you’ve done enough to her?"

"What are you talking about? You don’t know what’s going on!"

"The hell I don’t! I’m all caught up now, Jase! I read it all. I know exactly what you did!"

"Look – "

"Tearing up that sonogram picture was a nice touch, Jase," Sonny added in a dangerously quiet voice. "Very classy."

"What? I have no idea what you’re talking about and I don’t care. The point is you should’ve have read any of – "

"The point is you’re the world’s biggest jackass!"

A loud knock on the door prevented Jason from answering. He angrily jerked open the door to find Emily and AJ standing there. Emily brushed past him before he could stop her.

"Jason, thank God you’re home. I have something to tell you."

"I’m going. But this isn’t finished, Jason," Sonny said on his way to the door.

"Stick around, Sonny. You’ll be interested in this, too," AJ drawled. He already knew what Jason’s reaction would be but he wanted to see Sonny’s face when he learned what Carly had done to his "best friend". Although, judging by the furious looks on the two men’s faces, the best friend part might not be accurate after all. AJ saw Sonny’s hesitation and added, "It’s about Carly."

"Has something happened to her?"

"Not yet," AJ replied with a barely restrained smirk.

"What’s that supposed to mean?"

"Emily? What’s the matter?" Jason asked.

"She knew. About the twins." Emily held Robin’s letter out to Jason. "We were cleaning out Carly’s stuff at the house. We found this. She read it, Jason. She knew and she hid it from you."

Jason stared blankly at the letter in his hands, not comprehending what Emily was saying. "Emily … I don’t understand. Where did you get this? How do you know Carly had anything to do with it?"

"It was under her bed, Jason," AJ said. "Where else would it have come from? The tooth fairy?"

"How do I know you didn’t plant it there?" Jason asked with cold stare.

"God, when are you going to stop defending her? Why can’t you see she’ll screw you over just like everybody else?"

"AJ, stop it!" Emily turned to Jason. "AJ was just as surprised as I was, Jason. He didn’t do this. Carly did. She stole that letter on one of her visits to you, read it and never told you."

While Jason didn’t trust AJ, he believed Emily. He stood completely still staring at nothing. Only Sonny recognized that he was livid. Jason was trying to reign in his anger before he did something stupid like hit something. He was afraid he would hit AJ and upset Emily. Emily took his silence for denial; she kept trying to explain.

"Jason, don’t you see? She knew Robin was pregnant and she didn’t tell you. Robin wrote that she was thinking about having an abortion." Jason flinched just the slightest bit. "Carly was probably hoping she would if you didn’t answer her letter," Emily said bitterly.

Jason clenched the letter in his fist, crushing it. He was so mad he could hardly think. He started for the door but Sonny planted himself right in Jason’s path.

"Whoa. Where do you think you’re going?"

"To find Carly."

"Jason, just calm down for a minute. AJ would do anything to get back at Carly. How can you be sure he didn’t set this whole thing up."

Jason studied his brother. AJ’s face betrayed nothing as he looked back at him calmly. Jason looked to his sister. "You believe him?" Emily nodded. "Good enough." He tried to shove past Sonny but Sonny shoved him back. Jason shouted, "Get out of my way!"

"Just stop this and think for a minute!" Jason shoved his friend again but Sonny managed to stay in front of him; he shoved Jason back even harder. This time Jason’s fist flew up and socked Sonny in the eye. Emily screamed as Sonny fell to the floor. Jason ignored them all, stepping over Sonny to get to the door. It flew open before he could reach it. Carly stomped into the penthouse.

"I can hear you across the hall! What – " She gasped when she saw Sonny lying on the floor; she went straight to her husband. As she knelt beside him she glared at Jason.

"What the hell did you do?"

Jason moved to stand over her and shoved the letter in her face.

"What the hell did you do, pal?"

*****

Bobbie stared at the man blocking her path and felt the first trickle of fear. Why had she taken the stairs? She should have taken the elevator for once. Just this once. The man smiled cruelly as he walked slowly down the steps toward her.

AJ couldn’t believe his good luck. He had expected to get to see Jason’s reaction but he never dreamed that Sonny and Carly would be there, too. It was a struggle to keep a straight face; he wanted to laugh out loud. AJ watched as Carly blinked stupidly at the letter in Jason’s hand. He could tell she didn’t know what it was. He was right to assume she didn’t even remember having it. He saw her blanch as she realized she’d been caught. He could also see she was going to try to lie her way out of it as usual.

"You’re unbelievable! You know that? You’re lying, Carly!"

"Carly!" Jason roared. "Quit lying! You took the letter and you read it! Didn’t you think it might have been important for me to know that Robin was pregnant?"

AJ resisted the urge to clap his hands. Barely. This was even better than his wildest dreams. Saint Jason was trashing Carly and even Sonny wasn’t coming to her defense. AJ watched as Sonny wearily climbed to his feet. One look at his face told AJ everything he needed to know. He thinks she’s lying, too. I’ll be damned. If I’d known Robin was the way to bring down Carly I would have done this two years ago.

Carly rounded on AJ and screamed, "Shut up! You shut up! You did this! You –"

"Enough!" Carly flinched at the fury in her husband’s voice. "Just stop it, Carly! Just…" Sonny threw his hands in the air in exasperation. "Just…be quiet."

"I’m fine, Frisco. Go do your job. That’s what you’re best at."

"But you think you know, don’t you? Don’t you?" He wouldn’t meet her eyes. "Was it Faison?"

"But why? What’s the point? Yes, Bobbie is Anna’s friend and she did let you guys stay at the Brownstone that night but why…?" Felicia gasped as realization dawned. "Luke. He’s trying to get to Luke."

"Call Sean. Now. You wait for him here. Don’t go anywhere alone."

Chapter 42

Robin’s sobs eventually tapered off. Expecting her to pull away, Parker stayed still but Robin’s thin, strong arms stayed wrapped around his waist for a few moments longer. Finally, she stepped back, wiping the tears from her face and digging around in her purse for a tissue.

"Feel better?"

Robin nodded. "Sorry about your coat. I’ll pay to have the snot cleaned off of it," she said with a shy smile.

"Hazards of the job," he replied with a wave of his hand. "Don’t worry about it. After six months with the girls I’m used to it. I’ll just charge the bureau for it again."

Robin giggled then blew her nose. Parker grinned at her unexpected response. He assumed that after her crying jag she would be embarrassed and revert back to the silent, sullen act. Obviously, though, she was determined not to go back there. Either that or she’s just comfortable with you. Finally.

"So you ready to go home now?"

"I’m still starving," Robin said shaking her head. She pulled a compact out of her purse and groaned at her reflection. "Oh no. I can’t go anywhere like this." She began dabbing at her red nose and tear-stained cheeks with the powder puff.

"You look fine."

Robin continued her repairs. "Fine? I think I can do better than fine," she sniffed.

"I bet you can," Parker muttered.

Robin stopped and narrowed her eyes suspiciously. "What was that?"

"Nothing," he said quickly, hoping he sounded innocent.

Robin continued to stare at him just long enough to make him uncomfortable then returned to her powder puff. Parker waited impatiently, looking every bit the part of the bored boyfriend. He rolled his neck from side to side, popping his vertebrae. He cracked his knuckles. He straightened his coat, tapped his foot and checked his watch. He sighed loudly as Robin rummaged in her purse and pulled out a tube of lipstick.

"We’re not going back to that diner, are we?"

"Huh uh," she answered as she applied a fresh coat of lipstick.

"Then where are we going?" Parker asked.

Robin snapped her compact shut with a small sigh. She heard the annoyance in his voice and knew his patience was at an end. "So do I look presentable?"

"Great," Parker answered shortly. "Where are we going?"

"You’re such a gentleman," Robin teased.

"Robin – "

"Owen!" There he goes with the "Robin" stuff again, she thought. "I know a place that serves great cheese fries. You’re gonna love it."

Parker snorted derisively. "Cheese fries? The queen of health food wants cheese fries? What is it? Soy cheese and tofu fries?"

Robin crossed her arms and gave him her haughtiest look. "Fine. You don’t want cheese fries. Okay by me. I know this great place at the mall. It’s a health food bar – "

"All right," Parker said quickly as he raised his hands in defeat. He knew that look too well to argue. She would stand in the snow arguing with him all day until she froze but she’d never let him win.

"They serve these great protein shakes – "

"All right."

" – made with tofu and broccoli and sprouts – "

"I said all right!"

" – and beets and – "

"You win! Okay? You win. You made your point! Cheese fries it is." His eyes narrowed when she smirked. Brat, he thought resentfully. "Lead the way."

Robin flashed him a victorious smile as she flounced past him. Just wait ‘til he finds out we’re going to Luke’s, she thought gleefully.

*****

Frisco found he couldn’t make himself go further than the doorway of the exam room. Tony was his big brother, the person he looked up to. He always counted on him to be the smart one, the strong one. Frisco was the foolish brother, the impulsive one. The one that charged headfirst into danger and ended up in a hospital bed.

When Tony hastily explained what happened in the stairwell, Frisco had been shocked. He couldn’t imagine his mild-mannered brother in a fist-fight with some thug that had four inches and at least 60 pounds on him. He should be dead right now, Frisco thought numbly. He could be dead but instead they’re hauling the bad guy down to the morgue. Thank God for small favors.

Frisco watched as a doctor and two nurses hovered around Tony. Bruises were already beginning to form on the older man’s face but he seemed calmer, more in control. More Tony-like. Frisco guessed by the staff’s unhurried pace that Tony wasn’t in danger, but he couldn’t quite get over his guilt. If only he hadn’t acted like a jackass at lunch. If only he’d told his brother what was bothering him. If only he’d stopped pouting and gone after him sixty seconds sooner.

"Were you just going to stand there all day?"

Frisco jumped at the sound of his brother’s voice. Tony sounded weary but he was still trying to joke around. Frisco heard something else – relief maybe? – under the exhaustion. He forced himself to be cheerful.

"That was one hell of a heroic rescue," he said as he strode over to the bed. "How do you feel?"

"I feel like crap," Tony said dryly. "I think I’ll leave the heroics to you from now on."

Frisco grinned. "Looks like they’re doing a good job of patching you up."

"Is that your expert opinion, doctor?"

"No, that’s my expert opinion after being in your position too many times. Everything okay?"

"Yeah."

"Want me to check on Bobbie for you?"

"I already had someone do that – "

"He wouldn’t sit still until I did," one of the nurses interrupted with a grin. Tony gave her a look.

"Anyway…she’s holding her own. She’s too damn stubborn to give up." The doctor and nurses stepped out of the room with a warning to stay in bed. Tony’s easy smile faded as he motioned his brother closer. "Who did this, Frisco?"

Frisco hesitated, suddenly serious, then shook his head. "I’m not sure."

"Then I want you to go find out. That guy meant business."

"Sean’s on his way here. He’s going to check it out so I can stay with you."

"You don’t need to stay with me," Tony protested.

"I want to. Don’t argue with me."

Tony gave him a long, serious look before asking, "Was it Faison?"

"Tony…"

"Was it?" Frisco tried to turn away but Tony’s hand shot out to grip his arm. Frisco noticed the IV the back of his brother’s hand and winced. Robert was right; we shouldn’t have come back. Now everyone is in danger. "He shot Anna’s sister right in front of her and he supposedly likes her. He doesn’t like Luke and he doesn’t like you," Tony reasoned. "Did Faison do this?"

"I think so, yes." Tony closed his eyes. "I’m sorry, Tony."

Tony’s eyes flew open; Frisco was surprised by the anger he saw in them. "This isn’t your fault. And it’s not Anna’s fault or Robert’s fault or Sean’s either. It’s his and only his. Got me?" Frisco nodded. "You’ve gotta get this guy, Frisco. You’ve got to stop him before someone gets killed."

"We’re trying," Frisco said lamely.

"Try harder." Tony closed his eyes again. Frisco thought he suddenly looked older.

"Tony?"

"Hmm?"

"Don’t scare me like that again."

One corner of Tony’s mouth twisted into a grin. "I’ll try."

"Try harder."

Tony chuckled and gripped his little brother’s hand tightly. "Deal."

*****

Hospital personnel and visitors scattered as Sean Donely hurried into the Emergency Room followed by four WSB agents. He looked around frantically but Felicia saw him before he saw her.

"Sean!"

The relief on his face was immediate as he rushed over to her and pulled her into his arms. "Hey, Princess. How are you? Where’s Frisco?"

"I’m fine. Frisco’s back with Tony. Sean, what’s going on?"

"I don’t know yet," he lied as he held her at arm’s length. "One of these guys can take you home." He nodded to the agents who arrived with him. Felicia hadn’t even noticed them.

"I’m not going anywhere until I find out how Bobbie is doing."

Sean started to argue but then decided he didn’t have the time to waste. Felicia watched in admiration as he began giving orders like a general commanding his troops. "All right. Markinson and Newman, you stay down here and keep an eye on things. Taylor and Hobbes, I want you to go look for anything that might tell us who this guy was or who sent him. Not that I think you’ll actually find anything. Felicia, honey, did Frisco give you any indication he knew this guy or if he said anything to Bobbie?"

"He said he wasn’t sure but I think he thinks it was Faison. Bobbie’s been unconscious since Frisco got to her so he hasn’t been able to talk to her."

"Damn," Sean swore. "Did you call Luke?"

"Yes. And Amy called Carly and Roy."

"Okay, I’m going to talk to Frisco then go tell Anna what’s going on. You stay here. If you see anything even remotely suspicious, you let these guys know."

"I will," Felicia agreed.

As Sean strode through the door that led to the exam rooms, Carly burst into the ER. Felicia thought the young woman looked on the verge of hysteria. But then Carly does love to be dramatic, she thought.

"Amy!" Carly shouted. "Where’s my mother? How is she?"

"Carly, calm down – "

"Don’t tell me what to do! I want to see my mother right now!"

"Look…Carly, we’re all concerned but that doesn’t mean – "

"You don’t care about my mother! She’s just one more person to gossip about!"

Felicia decided to step in before things got completely out of hand. "Carly?"

Carly spun around and sneered, "What do you want?"

Felicia fought the urge to slap her and continued calmly, "Alan’s in with Bobbie right now. He said he would come talk to us just as soon as he knew what was going on. Why don’t you come sit and we’ll wait together?"

"No! I want to see her!"

"I know you do," Felicia said, trying to keep her cool. "I know you’re upset but we need to stay out of the way and let the doctors do their jobs."

"You have no idea how I feel! She’s my mother!"

"And she’s my friend," Felicia shot back. "I care about her, too. So does Amy. If you can’t be civil at least be quiet. Bobbie would be embarrassed by the way you’re acting."

Amy crossed her arms and smirked as Felicia left Carly standing there looking shocked and outraged and went to sit down. Carly stared after her for a moment, then stomped off to a chair in the corner. She watched as Luke and Roy rushed into the waiting area; Felicia went to greet them. Carly slouched down in her seat and watched the three of them sit together while Felicia explained what was going on. One glance around the room showed her that she was the only person sitting alone; everyone else had someone to wait with them.

Crossing her arms across her chest, Carly tucked her chin against her chest and willed herself not to cry. A shadow fell over her. Carly looked up hopefully, expecting to see Alan but instead found her husband standing awkwardly beside her. Sonny stared back at her silently. He looks like he’d rather be anywhere else but here, she thought bitterly. He’s just here because he thinks he has to be. As Sonny sat down beside her, she put her head in her hands and cried in earnest.

*****

AJ sat on the park bench stomping his feet to keep warm. "C’mon, Em! Hurry up and finish that hot dog. I’m freezing!"

"Okay, okay," Emily said around a mouthful of hot dog.

"I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming here," he muttered.

"It’s nice and quiet today," Emily said before taking another bite.

"It’s nice and quiet because it’s snowing! Everyone else has more sense than to be out here freezing their butts off!"

Emily rolled her eyes, ignoring his sarcasm. He would understand in a minute. But only if her surprise hurried up. AJ was going to leave if it took much longer. She was already on her second hot dog. If she had to eat a third she would probably throw up. She tried to think of something else to stall for time.

"So, um…how’s that Internet company you bought out from under Grandfather? Still doing good?"

"Yeah," AJ said. Emily heard the surprise in his voice and was sorry yet again that her family – including herself – treated him so badly. "Yeah, it was a great investment. I’m thinking of expanding soon."

"That’s cool." Emily sighed and repressed a groan as she wadded up the rest of her lunch in a napkin. She couldn’t force herself to take one more bite. "AJ…I’m really proud of you."

"Why?"

"Lots of reasons, I guess. For getting sober. For making it on your own without Grandfather’s help. For being a good brother. For being a good father."

"Yeah right."

"You are, AJ. You and Michael were getting along just fine before Carly ripped him away again."

"For what it’s worth now," AJ said bitterly. He got up and walked a few paces away so he didn’t have to look at her. Emily got up and followed him.

"It can be that way again. You should fight for him. He deserves to know his father just as much as you deserve to be a father."

AJ turned to look at her. "Why this sudden change of heart, Em? What happened to Jason being the end all be all? You were practically the president of his fan club."

"I don’t know – "

"Has Mr. Perfect done something to fall from your good graces?"

"No one’s perfect, AJ. I just… The whole thing with Michael was just wrong. It was wrong for Jason to keep your son from you. And it was wrong for him to ask Robin to lie for him. Or get mad at her when she told you the truth. And I think he was awful to her when he found out about the twins. He had no right to be angry with her if he didn’t read the letters she sent him."

AJ leaned over and got right in her face. "Duh."

Emily smiled before she could stop herself then socked him on the arm. "Jerk."

"Squirt," he countered as he smacked her on the arm.

"Lush!" Emily exclaimed as she hit him again, then giggled at his shocked expression.

"Junkie!"

"Junior!" she taunted.

"Oh that’s it. You’re going down!" AJ cried as he scrambled around gathering a handful snow. Emily quickly did the same and they were soon in the middle of an all out snowball war, laughing and shouting like children.

"Emmy!"

The baby-voiced shriek stopped the fight instantly. Emily and AJ turned to see Michael running toward them as fast as his little legs could carry him. Emily caught him as he launched himself at her and swung him around. AJ watched sadly even as he smiled at Michael’s giggles.

"So this is what you had to talk to Leticia about." Emily just smiled in response.

"Hey, Michael! Hi, buddy! How ya doin?" Emily waved to Leticia who was watching from the path then turned to her brother. Pointing to AJ she asked, "Michael, do you know who this is?" The little boy shook his head shyly. Emily hated the pain she saw in AJ’s eyes. "This is your daddy, Michael. Why don’t you let him hold you?"

When Emily tried to pass him to AJ, however, Michael clung to her, burying his face in her jacket. AJ looked away so Emily wouldn’t see the tears in his eyes. "It’s okay, Em. Don’t make him."

"I’m sorry, AJ," Emily whispered through her own tears. "He just needs a little time, that’s all."

Leticia walked over to them. "Hey, Michael. Do you want to build a snowman?" Suddenly his shyness was gone. Michael squirmed out of Emily’s arms and began clumsily shoving snow into a pile. Leticia smiled at Emily and AJ then began to help him. As Emily and AJ squatted down to help, Michael smiled at his father. Looking over his son’s stocking cap, AJ mouthed the words "thank you" to his sister.

*****

Cesar Faison stood at the French doors of his office watching Avery play with her new puppy. He smiled as his daughter threw a snowball, which the puppy chased and, of course, could not find no matter how much it rooted around. Avery’s giggles were a welcome change from the silent, frightened child she’d been the past week. He decided that finally buying her the puppy had been the right choice. The little mutt had improved her mood dramatically. The phone began to ring as Avery picked up the squirming puppy; the dog licked wildly at her face and she dissolved into laughter.

Faison was still smiling when he sat at his desk. He reached for the phone as he lit another cigar.

"Yes." Faison twirled cigar between his fingers as he listened. He wasn’t sure whether to be pleased or furious. His "message" to Luke Spencer hadn’t exactly been conveyed in the manner he had hoped. Still, Tony Jones had gotten in on the action, which might serve as a reminder to his brother, that he was messing with the wrong person. All in all, he decided it wasn’t too bad a start. Of course, Luke Spencer deserved a more serious warning.

"Very well," he said finally to the man nervously waiting on the other end of the line. "Still…let’s move on with Plan B anyway. Spencer’s not the brightest man in the world and I want to be perfectly clear." He paused to take another puff on his cigar. "Have you heard from the people I’ve placed at the hospital?"

Faison listened then nodded. "Good. Tell them to get it over with as quickly as possible. I won’t tolerate any mistakes this time," he warned. He hung up without waiting for a reply then leaned back in his chair. He smoked as he contemplated this most recent development. His patience had finally run out. But maybe that was a good thing. He blew several rings of smoke at the ceiling then smiled cruelly. By the end of the day he expected several more of his "messages" to have been delivered. And, by the end of the week, he expected to be back home with his child…and his wife. Yes, he thought, it’s definitely time I stopped being so patient.

*****

In Elizabeth’s room above Kelly’s, Lucky and Liz lay in each other arms under the covers catching their breath. Both wore small contented smiles on their face.

"I should drop by for lunch more often," Lucky said in a reverential tone.

Elizabeth laughed and slapped his bare chest. "Lucky!" He laughed, too, then pulled her closer. She snuggled into his shoulder.

Then Elizabeth looked at the clock on the nightstand and groaned. "I have to get back to work. Tammy is going to come looking for me if I don’t get back downstairs."

"Oh, I bet Tammy knows exactly what’s taking so long," Lucky said suggestively.

Elizabeth blushed. "Lucky Spencer!" she scolded.

"What?" he asked innocently.

"You’re impossible," Liz said with a grin that matched Lucky’s.

"Well, I try…" They both laughed again as Lucky kissed her again. After a moment he pulled away with a sigh. "You don’t really have to go, do you?"

"Unfortunately yes. Gotta pay the rent."

"Hmm. Well…what if you only had to pay half the rent?"

Liz frowned. "What do you mean?"

"What if you had a roommate?"

"This place is barely big enough for me. How – " Lucky stopped her with another kiss.

"It’s big enough. For now." He gave her a shy grin. "I was thinking we could make this a little more permanent." Elizabeth began to catch on. She propped herself up on one elbow; Lucky did the same.

"Lucky… What are you saying?"

"I’m not sure," he admitted. "I just…I hate it when we’re apart. I want to spend every second with you." Elizabeth’s heart began to beat faster. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying?

"What kind of permanent situation did you have in mind"

"I don’t know. Maybe very permanent. Possibly even legal." They both grinned. "How permanent do you want it to be?" Elizabeth bit her lower lip. She was too stunned to answer him. When she invited him over for lunch, she never expected to drag him upstairs, make love to him then talk about marriage or living together or whatever. She decided this was much better than lunch.

"Just think about it, okay?" Lucky said as he got up and pulled his shorts and jeans on. "We’ll talk about it tonight. Oh, that reminds me. We’re supposed to meet Nik and Gia at the club for dinner."

Elizabeth made a face. "Do we have to? I’m not up to Gia today."

"She’s not so bad. I kinda like her." Lucky searched the jumble of clothes on the floor for his shirt.

Liz sat up, clutching the covers to her. "Really? Should I be jealous?"

Lucky grinned as he pulled on his shirt. "Only if you want to be." Elizabeth made another face as he sat down next to her. He took her face in his hands and kissed her again, leaving no doubt that she had no reason to be jealous. "You have my heart," he whispered.

"It’s a permanent lock," she whispered back.

Lucky stood to finish dressing. "Pick you up at six?"

"Okay," Liz relented then shook her finger at him, "but you owe me one."

"And I will be more than happy to pay up," he said waggling his eyebrows at her suggestively.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. "I can just meet you there though. You don’t have to come and get me. It’s out of your way."

"Nikolas said Helena’s back in town." She was again overwhelmed by the hatred she felt for Helena Cassadine. She hated the fact that "the old bat" like Luke called her could ruin even this. She hated the fear she saw in Lucky’s eyes. His face was suddenly serious, the joking and laughter gone.

"Okay. No problem. I’ll see you at six."

He nodded. "I love you."

"I love you, too, Lucky." Before he got out the door, she called him back. "Lucky? Be careful, okay?"

He managed a small grin and winked at her before closing the door quietly behind him. Elizabeth fell back on the bed. Why can’t the old witch just go away? Or better yet, die? I hope a house falls on her, she thought hatefully. If she hurts him again, she’ll wish she was dead.

*****

"So what did you do?" Anna asked, fascinated.

"I kicked him as hard as I could then ran like hell," Alex replied. Anna burst out laughing at her sister’s grade school antics. Alexandra simply smiled. She’d learned not to laugh; it hurt too much.

"I can’t believe this! You were a holy terror! I always imagined you as this quiet, bookish, sweet little girl."

"Well… I guess I was. At least part of the time. Charlotte could tell you some stories though." Alex sighed. "We never really got along. Both too bullheaded, I guess."

"Good." Alexandra looked at her twin in surprise. "At least you didn’t make things easy for her," Anna explained. Alex couldn’t stop herself and began to laugh only to grab her chest with a groan.

"Ow! Ow, ow, ow! Don’t make me laugh!"

"Oh, I’m sorry," Anna apologized.

Alexandra took in her sister’s anxious face and grinned. "Would you relax? I’m not going to die. It just hurts. Stop worrying." Anna smiled back but Alex could see she was still on edge. "Now you," Alex said pointing at her. "I bet you really were a holy terror."

"I wasn’t that bad," Anna protested with a sly grin.

"Don’t believe a word of it," Sean said from the doorway.

"Sean, hi! What are you doing here?"

"Alex, may I steal your sister for just a minute?"

"Of course."

Anna shrugged in answer to her sister’s unspoken question as she followed him out the door. As soon as Anna was out of sight, Alexandra frowned, worried about what was going on this time. One of the nurses entered the room with a smile.

"How are you feeling, Dr. Marick?"

"I’m fine, Ellen. What’s up?"

"Dr. Greenman wanted you to have another course of antibiotics," the nurse explained as she began hooking up the IV bag. "He was worried about the temperature you had this morning."

"But it was barely two degrees," Alexandra protested.

"Dr. Greenman’s from the old school. Better safe than sorry. I’ll hook it up to the IV you already have so you don’t feel like a human pincushion."

"Too late for that," Alex grumbled. The nurse grinned and finished hooking up the new medication.

"There you go. All set. How’s your visit with your sister going? I heard lots of laughter coming out of this room."

Alex smiled. "It’s going very well. We have a lot to talk about."

"I’ll bet you do. Just don’t overdue it, okay? We want you out of that bed as soon as possible." Alexandra smiled as the nurse left the room. Ellen was her favorite nurse; she was always so cheerful.

"Don’t you worry," Alex said to herself. "I’ll be out of her in no time."

*****

Out in the hall, Sean put his arm around Anna’s shoulders and led her a short distance down the hall, away from the guards stationed outside Alex’s room. He saw a nurse stop to chat with the men, then enter the room.

"Sean? What is it?"

"Maybe nothing. Bobbie was attacked in the stairwell a little while ago."

"Attacked? What – "

"Some guy beat her up." Anna gasped. "Tony ran into them before it got any further than that and got a little banged up, too. Tony ended up shooting the guy with his own gun." Anna stared pensively down the hall. Sean put his arm around her again. "It doesn’t mean it was him, Anna. It could have just been a mugger or – "

"Don’t treat me like a child!" she hissed at him as she jerked away. "Of course it was him! Luke’s sister. Frisco’s brother. It’s a little too coincidental, don’t you think? And I suppose we can’t prove a thing?"

"No," Sean said reluctantly.

Anna nodded. "Right. Well, he’s not going to make a stupid mistake, is he? Are Bobbie and Tony all right?"

"Tony’s fine. They’ll probably release him in a couple of hours. Bobbie has some broken bones and a concussion but she’ll recover."

"That bastard!" Anna swore quietly.

"There’s a possibility it may have been someone else." He held up his hand to cut off her argument. "Helena Cassadine slipped back into town late last night. It’s possible she hates Luke even more than Faison does. She could have sent someone to hurt Bobbie as a warning and Tony just stumbled across them."

Anna began to pace back and forth. "I hate this, Sean! I hate it!"

"I know. But you need to stay calm and give me some time to get to the bottom of this."

Anna stopped suddenly. "Where’s Robin?" she asked fearfully.

"Robin’s fine. She’s eating lunch at Luke’s Club with Parker. Mac sent a couple extra guys to watch them."

"Does she know what happened?"

"Not yet. I figured she’d find out soon enough." Anna nodded her agreement but Sean could see she was still distracted. Behind her, he saw the nurse leaving Alex’s room, again stopping to chat with the guards. Flirt is more like it, he thought sourly. He’d have to talk to the guards about that. "Anna? Are you going to be okay?"

"I’m fine, Sean, don’t worry," she said with a wave of her hand.

Sean repressed a sigh. Great, here we go again. "Anna…"

"We should have killed him when we had the chance." With that, Anna spun on her heel and stalked back to her sister’s room. Sean sighed as he watched her duck inside, then return almost immediately with her purse and coat. As she started off toward the elevators he and her two bodyguards hurried to catch up.

"Where are you going?"

"Kelly’s. I told Alexandra I’d bring her something to decent to eat. Why?"

"Don’t do anything you’ll regret later," he warned. Anna glared at him.

"I’m going to Kelly’s to get my sister and myself some lunch. Then I’m coming back here to eat with her. That’s all, Sean," she said coldly as the elevator doors opened. He watched helplessly as the doors closed then struck them with his fist. He stood there fuming for a minute then walked around the corner to the stairs. He hoped she was telling him the truth but he couldn’t be sure. Knowing Anna, she might be waiting for the right moment to ditch her guards and go after Faison.

He was almost down to the first level, when his cell phone rang. He swore loudly and snatched the phone out of his pocket. Damn her! She did it anyway! he thought furiously.

"Donely!" he barked into the phone. What he heard caused him to pale. "When?" Apparently, he didn’t like the answer. "What? Do you have any idea – " The person on the other end of the line cut in to make excuses. "I don’t care! Just find her! Now!"

Sean turned and began taking the stairs two at a time, already dialing another number. He only hoped his instinct was wrong.