Michael Corinthos III was working on his fourth day of school at Madison Prep and it wasn't much better than his first day. In his first day he had been picked on, threatened, and nearly expelled when he finally defended himself. Day two was much worse because more people were picking on him because he had gotten Bryce in trouble. And by day three the ones who weren't picking on him where whispering about him behind his back. And here he was on lucky day four a social pariah. He couldn't believe that getting a high school diploma was really worth all of the grief he was getting. He pretended that everything was okay for Carly and Sonny's sake but the truth was Michael was a changed man. But they wouldn't understand that…couldn't understand that. They still saw him as Michael the boy…not Michael the 18 year old man that had served prison time for killing a woman.

In silent moments like these Michael analyzed all of the choices that he had made in his short life and wondered at alternate outcomes if he had just done things differently. What would have happened if he didn't go to his father's warehouse that day….? Well, he probably wouldn't have gotten shot in the head and put into a coma for a year. Being known as coma boy drove him crazy and he was still feeling the effects of what that bullet had done to his brain. He wondered what would have happened if he hadn't killed Claudia…if he had just tried to restrain her? He wondered what would have happened if he had told the truth in the beginning instead of going along with the cover up plan that Sonny, Jason, and Carly hatched to protect him. He wondered what would have happened if he had stuck to his life instead of confessing to the murder in open court. To be only 18 years old Michael had made more life altering decisions than most people made in a lifetime. But even with all that he had been through because of Sonny and Jason's world he still wanted to be boss of the family one day. He felt like his life had gone too far off the rails for him to be a normal anything. But the head of the Corinthos crime family…that was something he believed that he could do if they would only give him the chance. But instead he was stuck here at Madison Prep with people who hated him or feared him.

Michael couldn't imagine having to be here in this school every day until May when he'd finally graduate. It was only lunch time and Michael was ready to break free. He was sitting in the court yard with his untouched lunch sitting in front of him. He realized that he must have zoned out because when he looked up his younger sister Kristina was staring at him with a puzzled looked plastered on her face.

"Michael? Have you heard anything that I have said…like at all?" asked Kristina frowning at her older brother. She could see the change in him and it scared her. No she wasn't scared of her beloved older brother. She was scared for him. Michael seemed to believe his life was hopeless and that worried her. Kristina ate another bite of her salad waiting on Michael to answer her.

Michael smiled at the puzzled look on her face and said "Sorry Krissy. I guess I was daydreaming for a little while. What did you say to me?" Daydreaming…that was something normal 18 year olds did with their time right? Daydreaming as opposed to reliving the nightmare that was his time in Pentonville.

"I was asking you if you wanted to come over to my house for dinner Saturday. Dad is coming over…you know one of those forced family meals. You should come…Jason even convinced Carly to let Morgan come over. It'll be all of us. Jason is even coming over because Sam will be there. It will be our whole little dysfunctional family." said Kristina with a hopeful smile.

Michael wanted to say no but he saw the smile on her face and he couldn't say no to her. Kristina had been through so much and he felt guilt for not being able to protect her from it all. "That sounds like a great idea Krissy. I wouldn't miss it for the world. Besides it will get me out of the loft. I am tired of walking on Lulu and Dante about to have sex or actually having sex. Lulu is my cousin and it is sort of creepy. Well, it is more than sort of creepy. I haven't seen Molly lately. What new book is she reading anyway?" Even though Molly was just his cousin he felt like she was another little sister for him to look after.

"Oh she is reading Jane Eyre...you know her and those books about love. She doesn't understand what love is really like…it is nothing like what she reads in those books." said Kristina. She shook her head thinking about how guilty Molly felt once she found out it had been Keifer abusing Kristina. Molly had pushed for Kristina to stay with Keifer because he was like some prince in Molly's eyes. "I am glad that you are coming to dinner Michael it will be fun." She looked over and saw her study partner Taylor giving her a wave.

Michael followed her gaze and saw the way Kristina was smiling at him. "Kristina go…"

"What? No! I am not going to leave you sitting here. Come with me." said Kristina. She felt guilty for asking Michael to come back to this snobby school. She knew that her brother was suffering for her benefit. But without Michael and Taylor being there for her attending Madison Prep would be unbearable.

"I will be okay here by myself. I need to study for Calculus anyway. The numbers are like a soup in my head right now. Besides I haven't finished eating lunch and you have." said Michael.

Kristina leaned her head to the side looking at her brother. "Okay…but I'll be just over there if you need me." Kristina got up from the table and picked up her books. She walked passed Michael touching his shoulder as she walked away.

Michael was glad to have a few minutes to himself. His life was essentially an open book right now. He was still on probation and sleeping on his older brother Dante's sofa. He never had a moment to himself anymore unless he decided to go on a walk. And even then with his electronic ankle monitor he had to stay within a certain radius. He kept reminding himself to be grateful that he was out of Pentonville but at the end of the day he couldn't help but feel bitter about the entire process.

Rose walked around looking for a place to sit in the courtyard. She sighed seeing that most of the kids were sitting in cliques that she knew she wouldn't be accepted in or didn't want to be accepted in. She knew one thing she hated this school and she wanted out of it immediately. But that wasn't going to happen her parents, Marco and Theresa Marino, were set on her getting the best education possible at Madison Prep. She spotted Michael sitting by himself and walked over. "Do you mind if I sit here?" asked Rose.

Michael looked up seeing this beautiful caramel skinned girl that he had never seen before. She had long chocolate brown hair that matched her chocolate brown eyes. He admired the way her white button up blouse hugged her chest. Michael shook his head feeling uncomfortable. "Uh, yeah sure have a seat. But I have to warn you…being seen with me will be bad for your reputation." said Michael.

Rose smiled a little at Michael and said "Thanks…I didn't really see anywhere else to sit. Well, I am new here anyway so I don't really give a damn about a bad reputation." She had a seat across from Michael. "I am Rose…Rose Marino." said Rose. Rose started eating her lunch. She felt the eyes in the courtyard on the back of her head as she sat with the resident felon, but she couldn't care less.

"Starting off with a Joan Jett reference? I like it…I'm Michael Corinthos." said Michael. Sometimes he hated saying his name because he knew the reaction that it would draw from people. Some people would hate him, some would be afraid of him, and some would want to be regaled with tales of the mob world that he didn't have to tell or care to tell.

Rose just smiled and said "I know who you are Michael. I've seen you around. I saw the way you kicked that guy's ass Monday…good for you he deserved it. It is nice to meet you Michael." Rose noticed the Calculus book sitting in front of him. "I think you are in my Calculus class…you are in Mrs. Rush's first period class right?"

"Oh…that was…I should have walked away…I could have gotten kicked out if my brother hadn't conducted an impromptu investigation." Michael nodded "Yeah, I am in that class, are you?" He shook his head and laughed a little. Of course she had to be in that class with him. "Sorry…that was a stupid question…so you said you are new here…? Where are you from?"

"If you let one person push you around they will all do it. No one else has tried to fight you right? I think you did a good thing standing up for your sister and standing up for yourself. I would have done the same thing. My family moved here from Miami a month ago. My dad had to relocate here because of business. He owns an international private security firm. And no I don't mean like mall cops." said Rose. She was used to always having to explain to people what her father's business was. People heard security and automatically thought rent-a-cops.

Michael smiled and said "Well, no…no one has tried to take me on again. But there is a downside to people being afraid of you. I am surprised that you aren't afraid to sit with the felon." Michael frowned after calling himself a felon. He knew that it was something that would follow him around for the rest of his life. What career could he have where a felon would be accepted…except in the family business? "I knew what you meant when you said private security. You mean the ex-law enforcement and ex-military types looking for higher pay protecting businessmen and expensive stuff…paramilitary types."

Rose said "Well, let's just say…my upbringing gives me a…unique outlook on law and order. Not everything is black and white. There are shades of purple and gray all around us. And sometimes…the right thing to do…isn't always the legal thing to do." Rose smiled and said "I am glad that I didn't have to explain it to you…it gets to be tiring. It has been especially tiring here when everyone is so quick to look down their noses at you if they don't think your parents have a couple of million dollars sitting in their bank accounts. People wouldn't believe how lucrative it is to have private security force. My parents paid through the nose to get me into this school…apparently…I am unsavory and so is my family."

Michael said "My parents…paid a lot as well. The principal told me on my first day here that my father and step-father had both donated large sums of money to get me in here. That is the only reason I am still here…other than that…I am sure he would have kicked me out. So why is your family unsavory? I mean your father owns a private security firm that sounds like a good thing."

Rose paused eating her lunch and said "My grandfather is Miguel 'Cesar' Marino an alleged former crime boss. My uncle is Constantino Marino…alleged current crime boss. And I am an unwed teenage mother. I am sure they are ready to burn me at the stake. Not to mention that this school isn't very ethnically diverse…I have a Cuban father and a half African-American half Cuban mother. So why are you so unsavory?"

Michael glanced at her stomach. She didn't look pregnant to him. "I am sure that you have heard rumors about why I am unsavory…most of them are probably true. Constantino Marino is your uncle?" Michael wasn't going to let on but he had heard his father mention that name before in the past. Constantino had been a friend in the past that helped Sonny get away from some very bad men.

Rose saw him glance at her flat stomach and laughed. "My children are almost two years old. I gave birth a couple of months after my 16th birthday. My sons' birthday will be in a two months. And I don't like to listen to rumors…people say a lot about me and my family. I would prefer that they come to the source for the truth. So…I'd rather hear from you."

"Two years old…wow…" said Michael. He could barely wrap his mind around taking care of himself let alone two small children. He said "I am sure you have already heard that I killed…my step-mother after she kidnapped my mother and my baby sister…and then I went to prison for it. But I was a pariah before that anyway…my father is uh…alleged mob boss Sonny Corinthos. So is your family…from Bensonhurst?" said Michael casually wanting to know how his father might have known Constantino.

"Wow …isn't a reaction I normally get. I usually get a look of disdain…or pity. I love my sons and I am happy to have them." said Rose. "I already know who your father is…your father and my uncle knew one another…when they were younger…no…but my uncles and my father spent some time in Bensonhurst when they were teenagers." said Rose.

He chuckled and said "If you knew who my father was…and that our families knew one another…why didn't you say anything?"

"Same reason you didn't say anything at first. I saw the look of recognition on your face when I said who my uncle was. I've met your father once or twice…I think back when I was like 11 or something like that. We visited one of his islands. How is he?" said Rose.

Michael said "I don't…have a lot of contact with him because of my…uh probation right now…but I hear he is doing good. So you uh have two kids…what are their names?" Michael felt strange have a normal conversation but it wasn't normal. They both came from similar worlds he didn't feel like so much of a freak.

"I am sorry to hear that. I couldn't imagine not being able to see my father or my uncle Tino. My sons are fraternal twins named Nicolas and Roman. "said Rose.

Kristina walked over to the table not being able to hold out any longer. She wanted to know who the girl sitting and talking with Michael was. She hadn't seen anyone hold a conversation with Michael for that length of time in a while. "Hi Michael…" said Kristina waiting expectantly for him to introduce her.

Michael said "Hi Krissy…" At times Michael was oblivious to the subtleness of politeness.

Kristina continued to stand there waiting for an introduction. She elbowed him in the shoulder lightly.

Michael said "Oh…I am sorry. Kristina this is Rose Marino…Rose this is my younger sister Kristina. Rose just moved here from Miami."

Rose smiled and said "Hi Kristina. It is nice to meet you."

"Hi! It is nice to meet you. You moved here from Miami? That must be so depressing leaving all of that warm weather and the beaches for…well this." said Kristina looking around for effect.

"I don't mind it at all really. Sometimes you just need a change of pace and this is my change of pace." said Rose.

The bell rang.

Rose smiled and said "I should probably get to class I wouldn't want to be late for AP Biology." Rose stood up collecting her books. "It was nice talking to you Michael. It was nice meeting you Kristina."

"I'll see you around Rose." said Michael. He was surprised to hear those words come out of his mouth. He actually wanted to see her again. He collected his books and threw away his untouched lunch. "Come on Krissy I will walk you to class." said Michael.

"So…what is she like?" asked Kristina nosily.

"She is…like a girl…I don't know. I mean she seems nice enough." said Michael not giving anything else.

"Well, is she a new friend or not?" asked Kristina with wide eyes.

Michael laughed and said "You are starting to sound like Molly. She just needed a place to sit…and so she sat with me. That is all it was no big deal okay?"

Kristina looked at Michael and saw an actual smile on his face. "Okay…" Kristina arrived at her classroom. "Thank you for walking me here Michael but you should hurry if you are going to make it to your class on time."

Michael said "I don't really care if I am tardy or not." He smirked and then walked off heading to class. He knew that he could make it there in a short amount of time. In prison he had learned that walking too slowly left you out in the open and vulnerable for too long. Michael walked into the classroom and had a seat as the bell was ringing. He looked straight ahead for the entire class period not making eye contact with anyone except for the teacher and he didn't do that often.

As the end of the class started to approach the teacher said "Okay everyone needs to pick a partner before the next time class meets. Each group will need to choose a chromosomal abnormality or a birth defect and prepare a presentation on it. You will have two weeks to complete the project and I expect it to be as well thought out as one of my lectures. You can try to find your partners now with what time is left in class." Mr. Barker walked along the rows of desk handing out the assignment.

Michael felt his heart beat faster. There was no way that anyone was going to want to be his partner and he'd have to explain that to the teacher. Michael got ready to get out of his desk. He looked up seeing Rose standing next to his desk.

"Hi…would you like to be partners?" asked Rose. Everyone had already known who they wanted to be partners with and they were chattering about it. Rose being new to the school she was the odd woman out.

"You are in this class too?" asked Michael. He hadn't noticed her but then again his attention had not parted from the front of the room since he sat down.

"Uh yeah…I sit to the left of you and up one." said Rose motioning to her empty desk. "Am I that forgettable that you didn't notice me?" joked Rose. She gave Michael a warm smile seeing that his was obviously shaken up.

"No…I guess...I just didn't pay attention. Um sure…I guess we can be partners... I don't know…how good of a partner I will be though." warned Michael. He didn't consider himself to be that great of a student and with all of the distractions in his life he was doing even worse than normal.

"I think we will make out just fine Michael. I find abnormalities very interesting…so I think we will be in good shape." said Rose.

Michael bristled at the phrase make out even though he knew very well what she meant. He was just on edge and he was being forced into a situation where he had to interact in close quarters with another person. He didn't even like being touched by family members. Michael could only think of the horrible possibilities that could come from this. He was lost in his own fears that he didn't hear the bell ring.

Rose walked over to her desk picking up her books and her purse. "So when would you like to meet to talk about the project? I'd really like to get a head start on it. My life is so busy I really don't have the time to leave stuff to the last minute…or it won't get done. And since my family donated a small fortune to get me in here…I guess I should make good on their investment." said Rose

Michael forced himself to focus in on the words coming out of Rose's mouth instead of feeling like a caged animal. "Uh…we are out of school tomorrow for that teachers' in-service thing. We could meet tonight to figure out what we want to do and then we could meet tomorrow to get started. Why don't we meet somewhere…?"

"Okay…I am new to town do you want to meet at your house or mine?" asked Rose.

"I live in a very small studio apartment with my brother, Dante, but it is usually pretty quiet while he is at work. I guess we could meet there." said Michael.

"That is probably better than my house. All of the distractions I am sure that we wouldn't get any work done. Okay so I will meet you at your loft at what time tonight?" asked Rose.

"How about 6:00?" asked Michael. He wrote down his address and phone number and handed the scrap of paper to Rose.

"Sure six sounds good. I will see you then Michael…bye." said Rose. "Oh here is my phone number." She wrote it on a piece of paper and handed it to him. She waved as she was walking out of class.

Michael collected his books and walked out of the room going to his locker. He tossed his books in and then left the school. Michael decided to walk home he needed some time to clear his head. He felt on edge even thinking about spending time alone with a girl. He was weirded out being alone with Lulu and she was his cousin. Jason was out of town, Lucky was out of town, he wasn't supposed to see Sonny, he didn't trust Dante enough. He needed to talk to someone… but he really didn't know where to turn. Michael decided to turn to Jax for help. Michael walked all the way over to MetroCourt and headed up to Jax's office hoping to avoid his mother. Carly generally meant well but sometimes she would just make things worse.

Michael knocked on Jax's office door.

Jax was talking to Carly who was perched on the edge of his office. "Come in." called Jax.

Michael walked into the office and spotted his mother's blonde mane before he saw anything else. He groaned inwardly knowing this wasn't going to be good. Michael turned on his heels and walked out of the office. "Michael?" asked Jax getting up from the desk.

"Michael?" said Carly getting off of the desk and walking out of the office with Jax. "Honey is something wrong?" asked Carly finding Michael leaning against the wall in the hallway.

"No…everything is fine mom…I was just dropping by to ask Jax when we'd all go back out on his boat. But I see the two of you are busy right now. I can just come back later." said Michael.

Carly didn't believe that for a minute. "Michael? Is there something wrong at Madison? Do I need to go up there to talk to the principal."

"No!" said Michael in a harsher tone than he had intended to use with his mother. "No…" said Michael in a calmer voice. "There is nothing wrong at school. In fact it hasn't been that bad. No more guys trying to pick on me." Michael thought back to what Rose had said to him earlier.

"So then what is wrong?" asked Carly touching his arm. "You should know that you can always talk to me about anything Michael…anything at all. I am your mother." said Carly. She was in unchartered territory with Michael. She had always been a fierce protector of all of her children but definitely Michael. And up until the point that he had been shot in the head she had always been able to make things better for him. She felt helpless now to help him. She saw how much pain he was in and how damaged he was and it scared her.

Michael said "I know that I can talk to you mom. I just…don't need to talk to you right now. I just came to ask about the sail boat. I will see you later okay. Bye Jax." Michael walked off shoving his hands into the pockets of his khaki pants angry with himself for even coming there in the first place.

Jax looked at Carly and said "Stay here Carly." Jax jogged off after Michael and caught up with him. "I don't know what you came here to talk to me about…but if you need to talk without your mom around…just call me and I will meet you wherever okay?"

Michael nodded and said "Okay…thanks Jax…but I don't want to get you in trouble with my mom.' Michael really wanted Jax and Carly together. He knew how much Carly loved Jax and Jax was a good father for Morgan and Josslyn. Michael took the elevator down to the man floor and walked out of MetroCourt and went on yet another long walk. It seemed now that he walked all of the time like he was trying to run away but he knew there was nowhere to go. He walked to the park and had a seat on one of the benches. He sat there thinking about when his nanny Mercedes used to bring him to the park. He could almost see it in his head. Things were so much simpler then.

Johnny Zacchara was out for a short walk himself. He was forcing himself to walk so that he could heal from the gunshot wound he had taken to the chest. But mostly he wanted to get out of his lonely penthouse. He saw Michael sitting on the park bench looking dazed. "Michael?" asked Johnny standing next to him.

Michael jumped and put up his fists like he was ready to attack Johnny. He settled down seeing Johnny's face. "I…I'm sorry.' said Michael. Michael found himself apologizing a lot lately for a variety of inappropriate outbursts. He was getting tired of it.

Johnny said "It's no problem…you okay? You looked confused for a minute?"

Michael nodded and said "Uh yeah I am fine. Listen, man…thank you for telling the truth…and making peace with my dad. I might not be able to see him but just knowing that he is in town makes me feel better."

"I didn't have much choice…there was video of what really happened…it was tell the truth and make peace…or keep up the lie and serve time. I chose freedom…and I realized...I am not quite as ready to die as I previously thought. Are you sure that you are okay you look…" said Johnny not knowing what word to use.

"Yeah, just got a lot of stuff in my head and I don't know how to get it out. I am scared that I am going to hurt someone." said Michael out of the blue.

"Why would you think that? Because of what happened to Claudia? She was my sister and I loved her. But that night…she went off the deep end and if you hadn't…did what you did. I don't know what she would have down to your mother or Josslyn…I am glad that you stopped her from…doing something tragic. What you did doesn't make you a murderer." said Johnny.

"I am a murderer Johnny. I know that…and no matter what anyone says that is going to follow me for the rest of my life…but that isn't what I am talking about. I am…jumpy a lot…and my Biology teacher made us all take partners today. And I am just scared that I am going to do something to hurt or freak this girl out. And then everyone will know just how much of a nutcase I really am. And she is new here so she doesn't really understand just how screwed up I am." said Michael. He was being more honest with Johnny than he had been with anyone other than Jason. That was only because he didn't feel like anyone from his family would give Johnny the time of day if he decided to spill his guts.

Johnny had a seat next to Michael on the bench but leaving some space between them to give him a comfort zone. "I can't say I know what jail is like…but I know what is like to be in a dark hole…with no chance of getting out. And being there in that hole for so long makes you start to go crazy with fear and paranoia. And that was just me being locked in a room on my own…you were locked up with vicious animals…one of which being my father. I don't know what you went through but I am telling you what you feel is normal."

"Normal? I don't even know what that word means anymore. My normal is wearing an ankle monitor, having nightmares, having night sweats, jumping when people touch me…I choked Lulu…." said Michael needing to say it outloud.

"Is she okay?" asked Johnny concerned for his ex.

"Yeah…she is fine it was a few weeks ago…I was asleep on the couch…having a nightmare. And Lulu tried to wake me up and…I thought….I don't know what I thought." Michael knew exactly what he thought. In his nightmare Carter had been coming after him again. He had choked Lulu thinking that she was Carter. "I choked her before I was even awake. She was scared…of me…I could see it and she said that it was okay but it isn't. And I am scared that…things like that are going to continue to happen. What if that happens while I am working with this girl on my project?" asked Michael. "I didn't even think anyone would want to be my partner because…I am a felon and a murderer. But…I met this girl at lunch and…she didn't seem to care about any of that. She was nice to me anyway."

"Have you talked to anyone about this? Your mom? Your dad? Your brother? Jason?" asked Johnny seeing that this kid was in serious need of help.

Michael said "I can't talk to any of them. They all want to fix it and tell me how sorry they are but they can't fix it and I don't want to hear sorry. I can usually talk to Jason because he understands but…he is busy right now." Michael wasn't about to tell Johnny that his father's main enforcer was out of the country. He knew how fleeting peace could be.

"You aren't going to feel any better about any of this until you talk this out with someone. A priest, a rabbi, a psychiatrist, a friend, a parent…someone. There has to be someone that you feel safe enough with to share everything…to leave no cupboard unopened." said Johnny.

"A priest?"asked Michael looking at Johnny.

"Sure, anything you tell a priest in confession is private. He took vows to keep those secrets. Even if you aren't looking for penance or absolution…you can go there and unburden yourself…and you'll know that it won't get around to anyone else. Sometimes you just need someone to tell all of the horrible things to. For me…that person was Claudia…I could tell her anything and she'd always know what to say or what to do…" said Johnny.

Michael looked over at Johnny for a minute thinking about what he was saying to him. He could go to church and sit in the confessional and tell the priest every terrible thing that happened to him in prison and no one else would ever have to know. "I'm sorry about Claudia…" said Michael.

"Don't be…the truth is...Claudia was dead a long time ago…she just took her time leaving this Earth. Claudia died a little everyday…" said Johnny.

Michael said "I should get home…my partner, Rose, is coming over at 6:00 to work with me. Thanks for the suggestion…" Michael got up.

"Anytime kid…anytime." said Johnny.

Michael walked to his 'home' which really wasn't much of a home but it was better than Pentonville and he reminded himself of that every day. Michael walked into the loft and saw that Dante and Lulu weren't there although he didn't expect him to be. Dante was working at the station and Kate was back in town so there would be no early evenings for Lulu. Michael looked over at Dante's bed and saw that it was unmade. He walked over and made the bed and picked up around the loft since Rose would be coming over. He changed out of his school uniform into a pair of cargo shorts and a dark blue polo shirt. Michael started working on his Calculus homework while he waited on Rose to arrive.

Michael was really struggling with the math and the time seemed to fly by without him taking any notice. Before he knew it there was a knock on the door. Michael closed his calculus book and walked to the door opening it.

Rose was standing there wearing a denim skirt and a red, sleeveless, ruffled, button up shirt. She had her laptop and purse with her. "Hi, I almost didn't find this building. They all sort of blend in together." said Rose.

Michael said "Oh yeah…sorry I should have mentioned that. Come in." Michael moved out of the way and let Rose into the loft and closed the door behind her.

Rose walked over to the couch and commented. "Working on calculus huh? How is it going?" Rose had a seat on the couch. She set her laptop on the table and turned it on.

"It is…not going anywhere really. I keep staring at it and I think it makes less sense then when I first started looking at it…if that is possible." said Michael.

"Well, I am pretty good at math. If you are having trouble maybe I can help you figure it out?" asked Rose.

"Oh no…I couldn't ask you to do that but thank you." said Michael. It was enough that they were partners for this project he didn't need her tutoring him as well. That made it more likely that she would see him freak out.

"You didn't ask me…I offered. Just let me know if you change your mind. So I did some research while I was at home and I came up with the idea of doing our presentation on Turner's syndrome or maybe Down Syndrome. Did you have any ideas?" said Rose.

Michael had a seat next to her on the couch. "Okay…what is Turner's? I don't think that I have ever heard of it. It is surprising that you said Down Syndrome because I had thought of that too actually. There is a lot of information about it so it shouldn't be hard to find everything that we need."

Rose said "It is a chromosomal abnormality that affects girls. This is one of the articles I found on it." Rose pulled up an article on it and slid her laptop over to Michael.

Michael read over it and said "Yeah…this sounds cool. So what do we want to do for our presentation? Maybe we could do a PowerPoint slideshow? I guess everyone will do one of those though. Can I get you water or anything?"

"I am sure that everyone will do that but it is a good way to get all of information in a lecture format. So I was thinking that we could break the presentation down into a couple of segments. The first half explaining what it is and how many people are affected by it, and what chromosomes it is related to, the second half explaining how it is treated, and the third explaining what if any progress is being made in research of it. Water would be great." said Rose.

Michael nodded and said "That all sounds good to me. I feel like I am not really contributing very much to this group." Michael got up and walked over to the refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water. He walked back over to the couch having a seat with Rose.

Rose laughed a little. "I am sorry. When I have an idea in my head I just go for it. But don't worry you will be an active participant. I do not intend to do all of the research and building of the PowerPoint presentation all on my own and that is the majority of the group work. We are just brainstorming right now. Besides you are the one that came up with the Down Syndrome idea. Thank you for the water."

Michael smiled a little and he and Rose went back to brainstorming ideas for the project. The two worked for over two hours outlining their presentation and dividing up the research work between them. Michael zoned out for a bit not really hearing anything Rose was saying.

Rose said "Michael…? Michael?"

Michael came to and said "Huh? What did you say?"

"Are you okay? You don't look so good…." said Rose looking at the expression on Michael's face. It was like he had left the building.

"Oh yeah…I am fine…sometimes I just daydream." lied Michael.

"So when can we get together to work on this again? Do you want to try tomorrow afternoon or Saturday." Rose looked at the time realizing it was almost 8:00. "I need to get home and put my sons to bed."

Michael said "I can't Saturday…I have uh…community service to do." Michael was sort of embarrassed to say that to her. "And then that night I promised my sister that I would go to a family dinner. Tomorrow I have baseball try-outs…my parents really want me to find and extra-curricular. How about we meet Sunday afternoon?"

Rose said "Sunday? Could we meet here?"

Michael said "No, my brother and his girlfriend will both be off of work and this place is too small for 4 people. They'd probably be sitting on the bed watching us the entire time." Michael laughed.

Rose laughed a little. "My family will be home on Sunday and they will make a lot of noise…I come from a large family…what if we meet somewhere public?"

Michael said "We could meet outside of Kelly's diner? I could score us some free snacks. My dad's father runs it and my mother's mother owns half of it." Michael heard the elevator approaching the loft and figured it was Dante or Lulu coming home.

Dante walked into the loft and said "Michael are you...?" He trailed off seeing that Michael was there with a girl. This was the first time that Michael had brought anyone 'home' since he had been staying with Dante. Dante had an armful for groceries.

"Uh Dante this is Rose. Rose this is my brother Dante. I live here with him." said Michael. He walked over and grabbed one of the paper bags from Dante and set it on the counter.

Dante said "Good evening Rose. It's nice to meet you…do you go to school with Michael?"

Rose smiled a little. "Hello...yes, I do. We have Calculus and AP Biology together. We start the day in the same class and end the day in the same class. It's nice to meet you too." She noticed the badge hanging from the chain on Dante's neck. She glanced at Michael but didn't say anything.

Michael felt awkward and said "So I will see you Sunday at noon in front of Kelly's?"

"Well, I don't know about noon. I usually go to church with my family on Sunday. It is a really big deal for us. But how about 1:00?" asked Rose. "We are normally done with church and lunch at that time. I can meet you at Kelly's then." Rose collected her purse and her laptop.

Michael said "Sure that is great. That means I can sleep in some." He smiled a little to let her know he was joking. He walked to the door opening it for her.

Rose smiled and said "Okay then...I will see you Sunday. Good luck with baseball tryouts tomorrow. I hope you make the team."

Michael said "I'll walk you down to your car. It is pretty late for you to have to walk out there alone." Michael looked over at Dante. "I'll be back." said Michael. Michael walked out of the loft with Rose. He walked with her down to her car.

Rose said "Thank you for walking me down here Michael. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." said Michael.

Rose climbed into her car and was about to shut the door.

Michael put his hand on the door. "Rose…you said your family goes to church? What church?"

"We just moved here but we go to Our Lady of Sorrow. Why do you ask?" said Rose.

"Oh…no reason just…something someone said to me today. Have a goodnight Rose." said Michael.

"Goodnight…" said Rose.

Michael closed her car door for her and watched her start up the car and drive off.

Michael walked back up to the apartment where Dante was working on dinner. Michael said "Hey…sorry about that."

"There is no need for you to apologize Michael this is your home too. I thought it was pretty funny that I was the one walking in on you tonight. I am making chicken cacciatore for dinner. So what class were the two of you working on?" asked Dante.

"We were working on Biology. I was worried that…I would have to do the project on my own. I didn't think anyone would want to be my partner and Rose was just standing next to my desk when I was about to get up to talk to the teacher about it. She asked me if I wanted to work with her." said Michael

"Well, that is good Michael. I am glad that she asked you. But you have to stop thinking the worst of everyone. There are a lot of good people…a lot of understanding people." said Dante.

"There really aren't Dante…there are the people who look at me like a monster or a thug and there are the people who look at me like a sideshow freak. Rose asked to be my partner because…well she is new to Madison and she doesn't want to be there either. We sort of talked at lunch. I didn't realize we had Biology together. I guess I hadn't noticed her in the class." said Michael.

"You aren't a monster…you are a kid that got caught up in a bad situation…and all o the adults in your life made bad choices for you...including me. You didn't deserve to go to prison…you didn't deserve anything that happened to you. But now it isn't about that…it is about what are you going to do now. You have a great opportunity to change your life around and be anything you want." said Dante.

Michael said "It is a lot easier said than done. When I close my eyes…I am right back in Pentonville…fighting for my life…how does that just get better or go away? It doesn't. I am going go to go for a walk Dante…" Michael grabbed his jacket and walked out of the apartment. He started on one of his walks which was becoming almost a nightly occurrence. Sometimes it was so that he could think…other times it was to give Dante and Lulu privacy. Michael walked over to the Quartermaine's and snuck onto the property. He headed to the boathouse and laid down on the cot there trying to get some rest. Since Michael had been released from Pentonville whenever he needed time alone he either walked around Port Charles or he went to the Quartermaine boathouse for some peace and quiet. Maya and Ethan knew that he was making frequent trips there so they had set the boathouse up with some comforts. There was a cot that had a pillow and blanket on it. There was a radio and a portable DVD player. There was even a plastic tote with some snacks in it. Michael had been there for an hour when he heard a knock on the door.

Maya walked into the boathouse and said "Hi…"

Michael said "Hi…how did you know that I was here?"

"I spotted you on the security camera. I brought some dinner for you. I figured you might be hungry." said Maya. "You've been coming here a lot lately…is everything okay?"

Michael sat up and said "Maya you didn't have to bring me anything to eat. I am supposed to be at home right now having dinner with Dante but I just need a break from his place. I am grateful that he got me out of prison…but sometimes I hate…living there."

Maya had a seat next to him. "Well, would you like to stay here? I am sure if Edward, Monica, and Tracy crowed enough that they could convince a judge to let you stay here…but that is a whole other bag of trouble. Trust me…I know. Tracy despises me…Edward is meddlesome…Monica is nice. She's your grandmother right?"

Michael moved uncomfortably. "Yeah, she is…she still cares about me a lot even though I am not a Quartermaine anymore. I wouldn't want to live here…no offense."

"Edward does too…when you were sentenced to prison he tried calling in every favor he could…Tracy too…I had just moved here but…I saw the panic in their eyes…they were scared for you. A lot of the people in this town love you. I may not have known you long but I love you too. You are family. None taken…I didn't want to live here either, but I have gotten used to it."

Michael shifted uncomfortably hearing her talk about how many people loved him.

Maya noticed it but didn't say anything. "You are still a growing kid…you need something to eat. Alice made beef wellington for dinner. There is way too much of it for us to finish off. You should eat." Maya handed him the basket.

Michael said "Thanks…" He started eating. "How is Ethan doing? Has he talked to Lucky?" asked Michael looking at Maya.

"Uh…why would I know how Ethan is doing?" asked Maya incredulously. She was dating Ethan but the two of them were attempting to keep a low profile not that anything was every low profile with Ethan.

"Oh I just thought that…nevermind what I thought." said Michael laughing a little.

"Is it that obvious?" asked Maya making a face. "Oh but…no from what I know…he hasn't spoken to Lucky since he left the country to look for Luke. Why do you ask?"

Michael smiled a little. "Sort of…but what do I know?" "I wanted to talk to Lucky about…some stuff but…Lulu told me that he was out of the country. If you talk to Ethan…and he hears from Lucky…maybe he could ask Lucky to call me?" asked Michael.

"Sure…I think Ethan has a way of getting in contact with Lucky so…I can ask him just to call him and tell him if you want….is it anything I can help you with?" asked Maya feeling bad that she couldn't help him.

"I don't think so….it sort of requires…a man's advice." said Michael. He trusted Lucky and he knew that Lucky wouldn't say anything to anyone.

"Ah a man's advice…" said Maya. "Well, you could always talk to Ethan but he is really just a boy in a man's body." She laughed a little.

Michael seemed to zone out for a minute but then come back into focus.

"Michael? Are you okay?" asked Maya.

"I am fine…" said Michael shaking his head.

"What just happened there?' asked Maya seriously.

"Nothing…I was just thinking." said Michael.

"No…I don't think you were…your pupils dilated for a moment. Do you have seizures?" asked Maya.

"No…" said Michael looking at her oddly.

"Michael…I am pretty sure that you just had a seizure while we were sitting here…I think you should be seen at the hospital…" said Maya.

Michael shook his head. "If my family thinks that there is something wrong with my head again they will freak out. I can't put them through that again. I can't go through that again."

Maya thought about their options. "What if we didn't have to tell your parents right away? You are 18 years old…technically I don't have to tell them anything about your medical treatment…your dad wouldn't know until he saw the bill from the hospital…but you need to get checked out Michael…these seizures could indicate an underlying problem."

Michael didn't know what to do. He didn't need more stress or drama but Maya seemed genuinely worried that he could be in some sort of danger. "I have baseball tryouts in the morning…could I come by the hospital after that?"

"Sure, I'll talk to Dr. Drake in the morning and let him know that you will be coming in…and that you don't want anyone else knowing." said Maya.

"Why are you doing all of this for me?" asked Michael seriously.

"You are my little cousin whether I know you well or not and family means something to me…it means a lot to me." said Maya.

"And you are sure that no one will contact my parents?" asked Michael looking at Maya. "I've put them through so much...I just don't want them to have to start worrying about me all over again. I got into a fight Monday...for a minute I thought they were going to kick me out of school. All I could think of was...I am disappointing them again."

"You have my word...no one can tell your parents anything about your treatment unless you give your permission. You are an adult so you have a right to privacy regarding your health. Please don't turn down help just because you don't want your parents to know. I will go to bat for you to ensure your privacy. You got into a fight? Did you hit your head on anything? That could be what caused the seizure I just saw." said Maya.

Michael finally relented. "Okay...I will go through with it then." Michael shook his head figuring that he should just come clean. "I have been...having the seizures for awhile...I didn't know they were seizures though. Sometimes my vision goes blurry and I sort of zone out...my head hurts when it happens...I thought it was like a migraine or something..."

Maya said "It could be a migraine...but even a severe headache could be an indication of something more serious. Good, I will give you some alone time. I know you wanted to come here to get away. Just leave the basket here when you are done if you don't want to come into the house." Maya got up.

"Thank you Maya." said Michael.

"You are welcome." said Maya walking out of the boathouse.

Michael finished eating dinner and then stretched out on the cot taking some time for himself before he had to head back to Dante's loft. Michael got up after another hour realizing he had to get home pretty quickly. He left the boathouse closing it up and then walked off of the property.

Ethan was sitting in a car and honked at Michael. "Get in mate. I'll drive you home." said Ethan.

Michael climbed into the car with Ethan. "Maya told you what was wrong?" asked Michael.

"No, but she was pretty freaked out after she left you at the boathouse…and she told me that you wanted me to get in contact with Lucky…so I did." said Ethan. "Lucky said you can call him anytime and leave a voicemail and he will call you back." Ethan handed him a piece of paper. "Here is the number."

Michael smiled and said "Thanks Ethan."

Ethan said "No problem…what is family for." Ethan drove him to Dante's building and parked outside.

"You won't tell Lulu about me being at the boathouse right? I'd sort of like to keep that between us…and Maya." said Michael knowing that Lulu would tell Dante immediately.

Ethan said "Your secret is safe with me. Not a word to anyone that doesn't already know."

Michael smiled and said "Thanks Ethan." Michael got out the car and headed inside and up to Dante's loft. He knocked on the door before opening it.

Dante was sitting on the couch with Lulu watching a movie. Dante got up and said "hey Michael…uh Lucky called for you…while you were gone. Is everything okay?"

Michael held back a sigh and nodded and said "Yeah…I just wanted to talk to him about some stuff…"

"Is it anything that I can help with? I mean I am right here. Is it about school or something?" said Dante.

Lulu got up and made up Michael's couch for him so that it was ready for him to turn in for the night. She turned off the movie that she and Dante had been watching.

"Oh no…it is nothing like that I just…I need to talk to Lucky." said Michael not knowing how else to say it.

Dante nodded and said "Okay…"

Michael said "I am going to get a shower and get ready for bed. I've got tryouts in the morning." Michael grabbed some pajamas and headed to the bathroom to get a shower. He changed for bed and then walked back out into the living room.

"Are you hungry?" asked Lulu. "There is plenty of dinner left over…" said Lulu.

"No thank you Lulu I already ate." said Michael. He climbed onto the couch and laid back closing his eyes tiredly.

Dante and Lulu went to the other side of the loft and both climbed into Dante's bed. It was always awkward when Michael went to bed for the night because generally they were still up and ready to talk but they were trying to figure out a way to make this work for Michael.