"That was an awfully long run." Dante commented upon Caitlyn's return.

"I'm sorry; I should have called. I was over by Liz's and decided to make a stop…" She explained as she attempting to not let the guilt over the interaction with Johnny show.

"Hey." He came over to hold her. "No explanation needed. Is Cam feeling any better?"

"He seems to be. Do you mind if I take a shower before going to the humane society?" Caitlyn requested knowing she was already running them behind schedule.

"Not at all." He smirked. "Would you mind if I join you?"

She shook her head no and pulled him in for a kiss.

"Oh…" He pulled away. "Not to kill the mood, but I got an interesting call this afternoon."

"Oh?" She questioned, wondering if someone may have overseen her at the park.

"Yeah, my dad invited us over for dinner. I think he's hoping to bridge that gap that occurred when I quit."

"Do you think he wants to change your mind? He did want to hand it over to you after…"

"I doubt he would go there right now, but if he does bring it up we can always leave." He indicated.

"So you said…?"

"I said as long as you were free I didn't see why not."

"So the call is up to me?" She feigned offense to which he smiled. "I've actually been interested in meeting this wife of his."

"I suppose so after the work you put into locating her."
"Most of that was Marnie." Caitlyn passed the credit. "But yes; Mrs. Corinthos definitely has my interest peaked. You worked for her father at one point, correct?"

Dante nodded before giving the explanation. "When there was confirmation that the Zacchara organization was interested in expanding territory in Port Charles my superiors ordered me to find my way in. I started as a foot soldier and had a few assignments before the one to take out Jason Morgan which brought me here; by the way, you did not hear that part."

"What? That you were assigned to kill Jason? How did that come about?"

"Claudia hired a set up; hoping to send Jason on a mission where Johnny was supposed to allow him to die. It didn't go according to plan; everyone on the job was killed except me who ended up with a bullet wound for my efforts. What I didn't know at the time was that her reason for wanting Jason dead was self preservation as he was digging into her guilt in Michael's shooting."

"How did you even get assigned to that gig?" Caitlyn questioned.

"One of my first placements as a member of the Zacchara organization was some recon in Milan. My lieutenant thought it was a perfect opportunity to 'get in good' with Anthony's daughter." Dante explained.

"Somehow I doubt that I want to know what that means."

"It was just one…" He started to clarify.

"Let me stop you right now." She kissed him again. "I refuse to be the jealous girlfriend that becomes obsessed with past loves and flings so you don't have to explain anything to me."

He snickered. "Actually, I think I like the idea of you as the jealous girlfriend."

"You think so?" She questioned him.

Noticing a look of offense Dante back tracked. "No; I love you for who you are; your strength and determination, your confidence."

"Nicely played." She replied and pulled him toward the shower. Deep down there was a part of him that truly longed to see that same look of concern that he knew he wore whenever Johnny Zacchara was around.

XXXXX

"Michael, breakfast was amazing." Carly stated as she finished the last bite. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." He offered as others added in their gratitude.

"Do you think after this we can go up to my room to play the new game Jax got me?" Morgan asked his mother.

"Honey, I'd love to, but I, um…" Carly attempted to explain.

"We were thinking more on the lines of a movie or something." Jason cut it.

"How about Transformers?" Morgan suggested. "Grandpa Mike got it for me for Christmas and I haven't even opened it up yet."

"Is it Grandma friendly?" Bobbie asked Michael and Alyssa.

"Yeah." Michael smiled.

"Sounds like a plan." Carly replied. As she went to get up Jason took the plate for her. "I can get that."

"I'm sure you can." Jason responded with a smirk.

"Jason and I will take care of the clean-up." Bobbie insisted. "Why don't you take care of your beautiful daughter as the boys get the movie set?"

"Fine." Carly replied with Britni already in her grasp. She wasn't going to argue with anything that included more time with her children. She looked down at the infant and smiled. "Do you want to watch a movie with your brothers?"

Bobbie and Jason watched them leave before bringing the dishes into the kitchen. "She seems to be doing okay." Bobbie observed.

"She's tough. There aren't many that would survive what she's been through." Jason replied.

"I suppose I have you to thank for finding her and bringing her home, but Jason, I don't understand why you didn't tell me when you knew my daughter was out there. Do you have any idea how badly it hurt to think she was gone?"

"Bobbie, her heart gave out on the table. If it would have been any other doctor operating on her they would have called it. Patrick refused, and Carly's here because of that. Knowing that we were so close to loosing her I couldn't justify giving her back to her family just to have them go through the grief all over again."

"Your heart was in the right place, but that doesn't give you the right to that decision."

"I'm sorry." Jason apologized.

"Apology accepted. It doesn't matter now; what does matter is keeping her safe and happy. Are you sure you can do both?"

"As much as I would like to guarantee you both, I can't, but she's safer than she ever was with Sonny and happier than she was with Jax. Bobbie, I love your daughter and I'm not going to let her get away again." He insisted as she passed him the dishes that went into the washer.

Bobbie shrugged. "I guess that's going to have to be enough. I thought with Jax she was going to be given a better life free from all the danger that you and Sonny found yourself engulfed in. I should have known that was never possible. She was never going to give up on you."

"I'm trying to give her better." Jason insisted without bringing up the fact that he had left the mob; she knew that wasn't security; there were still enemies out there. "Her, and her children."

"I appreciate that." Bobbie nodded.

XXXXXX

"Did Dante get the invitation?" Claudia asked pressing herself against her husband.

"I just got the confirmation phone call." He replied kissing her forehead. "Although, I have to wonder what you have under your sleeve; you and my eldest haven't really gotten along."

"He was an undercover cop trying to use his influence with me to get in to your organization and then, to top that off, I find out he is Holivia Falconeri's son, do you blame me?"

"Claudia…"

"Okay, maybe I am doing this because I know how much family means to you, and for the time being Dante is the only child that's able to have a relationship with you."

"And that's why you insisted on having his girlfriend here?" He asked brushing her hair behind her ears.

"I thought it might be more comfortable if…"

"You want to meet the woman that has caught your brother's interest." He stopped her.

"I'm interested in finding out which way her heart is leading her. I would expect you to be as well."

"I refuse to get in the middle of my son's love life."

"Oh really? If it was Kristina who was with a guy that wasn't quite sure where he stood would you just stand back and let her get her heart broken?" Claudia challenged him.

"That's different." Sonny insisted. "Kristina is a fifteen-year-old…"

"Girl?" Claudia posed. "Don't tell me you're one of those men that believe that little boys should be taught to be tough and strong while little girls are poor innocent flowers that need to be protected?"

"That's not what I mean, but you can't tell me you're going to raise your son to be a sissy boy."

"No, but my son is going to know that if there's a problem his mother is just as capable of taking care of it as his father is."

"Somehow I doubt that's ever going to be in question. Have you decided what's on the menu tonight?" Sonny asked her.

"I sent Milo to the grocery store."

"You are sending guards out for grocery duty?"

"I would do it myself, but kind of contained at the time being."

"Well not completely." Sonny hinted and eyed upstairs. Claudia looked at him inquisitively and smiled before following his lead. There was still time before she had to start dinner.

XXXXXX

"I just put Cameron down." Zander said as he sat next to Liz on the couch.

"That didn't take long." She commented.

"Yeah, well, he was kind of already falling asleep through lunch; poor little guy."

"He's fever is already getting better. He'll be fine." Liz assured him as he wrapped his arms around her. "Let's just hope this bug is contained."

"What do you mean?" Zander asked her worried.

"Last winter there was a bug that passed between the boys three times."

"Are you kidding me?"

"No; that's when Grams came up with the brilliant notion of keeping one of them at her house through the duration; Lucky is going to bring Jake over their tonight and tomorrow we get to do a thorough cleaning of the house." Liz explained.

"Can't hardly wait; I think I'm just about as exhausted as he is." Zander said as he rested his head back.

"You're not getting it?" She asked as she went to check his forehead. He gently grabbed her wrist.

"I'm feeling fine; I just haven't been getting the best night's sleep recently, and that started before Cam got sick."

"Did you hear Carly's coming home today?" She questioned as she realized what he was implying.

"Yeah, Caitlyn told me. Apparently that's all Morgan is taking about. He called Dante three times yesterday to tell him."

"Morgan must be thrilled; Michael too." Liz replied.

"I don't think there's a word to describe it." He admitted. "Everyone assumed it was impossible."

"You didn't." She responded as she held onto his arm. "Monica told me that you refused to believe it; you said that without a body there was no proof."

"You were talking to your boss about me?"

"We got into a conversation about how the staff was handling the grief and then it branched out to the family. She was asking about the boys and Lucky mainly."

"Have you been able to talk to Cam about Carly being back?" Zander asked her. He wasn't sure how or if it was his place to approach the subject.

"I told him that we made a mistake and although she was hurt she didn't die so now Michael, Morgan, and Britni get to keep their mom. He seemed okay with that answer, and then asked me about going out with Carly trick-or-treating."

"Oh, so that was what he was going on about the other day. I was a little confused; Halloween is quite a while away."

"About the time that Lucky's child will be born if Mischa really is pregnant." Liz added.

"Does it bother you that Sam is having Lucky's child?"

She gently nodded her head yes against his chest. "It's not that I'm jealous; I have two wonderful children of my own and I wouldn't give this up for anything."

"But…?" Zander asked feeling it coming.

"Samantha McCall doesn't deserve to have Lucky's child. I know that's harsh, and I really did think I was over it, but after what she's done to Jake it doesn't seem right."

"What did she do to Jake?"

"She was hurt and angry that I had Jason's baby and their relationship suffered because of it. She didn't want Jake to exist, so when she saw a woman crazy in grief over losing her own baby lift my son from his stroller and walk away she did nothing. She let me go weeks with my son out there thinking he could be gone forever."

"Does Lucky know all this?" Zander inquired.

"Yes; me, Sam, Jason, and Lucky… now you, are the only people that know. Sam claims a 'moment of weakness' or temporary insanity as it was. She lost a lot because of her relationship with Jason; she lost the ability to have children of her own, and losing him turned her life into tailspin."

"Kind of like how losing Emily did to mine?" Zander reminded her. "You've forgiven me, right?"

Elizabeth snickered. "I'm the one that hit you over the head and left you to die; I think there's a reciprocal level of forgiving here."

"The point is that we both learned and turned out for the better." He explained as he played with her hair.

"She does make him happy, and the boys adore her." Liz admitted. "Okay, fine, you win. I will let it go and be happy for him, or at least try."

XXXXXX

"Did anyone see where Lulu went?" Nikolas asked the crowd as he looked around.

"She was going to use the women's room." Maxie explained while playing with Emma.

"By herself?" Lucky questioned.

"Um… yeah, she's been doing it that way for a long time now." Maxie responded sarcastically.

"Maxie, can you go find her?" Robin requested.

"I guess, but I don't see what the problem is, I thought we decided that Helena was in Russia. This isn't exactly Russia." Maxie stood up.

"We think she's in Russia." Sam cut in. "But there's no way of knowing for sure, and the worse thing we can do right now is get overly confident."

"Okay, I get it. Buddy system installed." Maxie replied before finding her way to the nearest ladies room and busting through the door.

"Oh my God you scared me!" Lulu jumped as her purse fell to the floor. She scrambled to pick up the contents.

"Here I can help." Maxie said crouching down careful not to touch her designer dress against the stone floor.

"No, I got it." Lulu replied defensively.

"What's this?" Maxie asked holding up a pill bottle. "Lulu, are you still taking these?"

"No." She lied. "I didn't even know those were still in there."

"Oh, okay then. You wouldn't mind if I throw these out?"

"Actually, I told the pharmacy that if I had any left over I would bring them back so they could dispose of them properly. Apparently to cut down on medications going into the sewage system there's this procedure in place that involves dissolving the pills in water and soaking it up with rags before burning the rags."

"If you want I can bring it in for you." Maxie offered.

"That's very nice of you only my name is on the prescription." Lulu countered as she held her hand out waiting for Maxie to hand over the bottle.

"Lulu, I helped your brother facilitate his drug problem. I'm not going to stand back and do the same for you."

"There is no drug problem. I promise. Dr. Winters gave me something to help deal with the loss of my cousin, now that she's back, I'm fine. You said so the other day."

"Okay." Maxie handed over the bottle. "I'm going to the pharmacy with you when you bring them back."

"No need; I'll will drop by on my way home." Lulu promised. "Matt and I should be leaving soon anyway if we're going to catch the opening act at the Jazz Club."

"Maybe Spinelli and I should check that out."

Lulu shook her head. "I've been trying to get you go for the past month and now you suddenly have an interest?"

"I've been… busy."

"Hey, I don't care if you want to check up on me. You can see for yourself that everything is fine."

"Good, it's settled then."