Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital I wasn't even a thought in the wind when this show was created. I do not own Ethan or Kristina or any of the other characters in this.

Summery: Takes place after the scene in 9/1/11 when Kristina overhears Ethan tell Skye all about her and how she's a messed up kid and feels sorry for her. Kristina decides enough is enough. If that is how he really feels about her, then she is done being the victim.

Author's Notes: Yes I am writing an Ethina story five years after their last scene together. I don't really care lol I loved this couple from day one and they had so much potential and I felt like they (not Nathan or Lexi the writers) ruined it. I haven't watched the show since 2011 except little scenes here and there so if I mess up on anything let me know. That's if I have any readers. I hope I do and I hope they let me know how they like this story.

XOXOX

It was the morning after his poker night at the Haunted Star, and Ethan makes his way to Kelly's with a smirk on his face. He made a serious dent in some of those rich players' egos last night and he was in high spirits. He figured Kristina would be at the small cafe and he could tell her all about the night and laugh about how high and mighty they acted when they walked in only to be taken under the table by a con like him.

When he gets there, he sees Kristina through the window curled up in the center table, her head on her knee. She was in a giant hoodie and sweat pants, with her hair in a messy pony tail fiddling with her cup of coffee. He wonders what was on her mind. He was not used to seeing her look so casual.

When he walks in he sees her look up at him for a second only to look right back down at her cup of coffee. He frowned when he sits next to her, unused to that type of greeting from her.

"Hey Kris, how was your night?" He asks pleasantly and she looks up at him and gives him a little shrug.

"It was fine. I actually have to go, I'm meeting a counselor about some of my classes." She says in a monotone before she stands up and grabs her stuff. She places a ten on the table and barley looks at him.

"Oh okay, guess we will have to have a rain check on that coffee." He answers looking at her with a little concern at her behavior.

She says nothing to his comment just walks out of Kelly's without a look back.

Before he can even think about odd she was acting a waitress comes over with a plate of eggs and turkey bacon. Something he knew was one of Kristina's favorite breakfast foods.

"That's odd, Kristina said she would probably be here all day and needed a good breakfast so she could study." The waitress he thinks her name is Steph says before looking over to him.

"Want it? If you don't it's going to end up in the trash and I hate wasting food. Plus she already paid for it." She says when she picks up the money Kristina left. Kristina didn't technically have to pay since Mike was her grandfather but she always did and left okay tips.

Ethan shrugs and Steph places the food in front of him before leaving him alone. That was strange, why would she tell Steph she was going to be here all day and then run out 5 minutes later? Maybe she got into another fight with her parents.

Ethan doesn't think too much of it as he digs into the food. Maybe she was just having a rough morning; he doesn't doubt that he will hear from her soon.

XOXOX

When Kristina leaves Kelly's she finds her way towards the usually deserted docks and sits down, plopping her school stuff next to her. She had a plan of staying in Kelly's, studying for all her classes, binge eating all the goodies Kelly's has to offer before she made her way home only to watch Titanic and cry her eyes out of Jack and Rose's tragic romance. And of course, he had to show up.

She couldn't stay there knowing he was there. Yes, it sounds stupid because she knows he goes in there everyday but after last night...after all she heard, she thought he wouldn't show up.

"Her father exactly didn't do her any favors. He neglected her most of his life and when he finally dames himself to show up, he tries to control her. She couldn't get his love so she acted out for attention."

It not only hurt her to know that Ethan talked about her life behind her back to people she barley knows but to tell Skye all about her inner demons was like a knife to her heart. She thought they were at least friends, friends that told each other things without judgment. She knows she never told anyone the things Ethan told her; his insecurities, his fears and yet who knows how many people Ethan talked about her to? How many people knew about her struggles and laughed at her for them?

It was true; she had a lot of daddy issues when it came to Sonny Corinthos. It wasn't until she was 17 that he even made an effort in her life besides putting money into her bank account every month. She used to envy her brothers that got to spend so much time with him. He would take them to the Island and they would have so many fun times that she was never included in. It used to make her think that her dad never wanted her. So yes, she did act out because she wanted attention from her father; she wanted to be loved, is that so horrible?! Then after things started getting bad with Keifer...she just wanted someone to notice her, she wanted her father to notice that something was wrong and protect her! And yet, he didn't...

To hear him telling Skye about her issues with her dad was one thing. Even though it hurt, she knew she could over look it since she cared so much about Ethan. He has been such an amazing person to her and she really liked him; despite him claiming it's only a crush. Until...

"Kristina is a messed up kid, you know. Frankly I feel sorry for her."

He feels sorry for her. She's a messed up...kid. That's all she ever was to him. A charity case to make himself feel better. Help the poor little mob princess that was abused by her boyfriend. The two years they were friends rushed back to her and she felt like such a fool. He only said all the nice things he said about her because he felt sorry for her. It all made sense to her then.

She remembers when she was dating Keifer and how Ethan used to flirt with her when they ran into each other at Kelly's; telling her how special she was, how beautiful she was and if she ever needed a reminder to let him know. All those compliments were probably genuine until he knew she was being abused...how she was nothing but a weak victim that couldn't protect herself.

She shakes her head. Every moment after he found her and rescued her at the Lake House was a ruse because he felt sorry for her!

She wipes her tears away angrily. Oh how she hated that saying! Feeling sorry for someone else! It was such a pointless waste of time! She would rather be spit on, beaten, stepped on, or shot at than have people look at her with pity.

She just didn't have any energy to call him out on it. Now that she knows how he really feels about her, she is done wasting her time on someone who feels sorry for her and pities her. She was not pathetic! She was Kristina Corinthos-Davis. She was a Corinthos and a Cassadine, she didn't need pity!

So she gave herself last night. She cried her eyes out for being a fool, for being weak, for being a victim but no more. She will give herself today as well. A full 24 hour grieving period for what could have been. For the man Kristina thought Ethan was; a good genuine person that cared about her. The man that told her father, a mob boss he was no coward and he would see her whenever he wanted! The man she thought she loved despite all his imperfections because she thought his imperfections made him that much better.

Today she would mourn that man.

Yet after today she was so done with being anything to Ethan Lovett. She would no longer be played as a fool.

TBC