-Thanks for all the reviews, support, and patience. It means a lot. I hope you guys are enjoying this story, because I know I am.-

Three Weeks Later, Port Charles New York.

Maxie Jones paced along the docks as she waited impatiently. The last three weeks had been uneventful as far as Robert's murder case was concerned. Lucky had no new leads and was growing frustrated with each passing day. The reporters were finally finding new stories to report and Maxie no longer wanted to attack Olivia Falconari. The suicide rumors had died down quickly, thankfully. No one else dared to drag Robert's name through the mud. Especially after Luke Spencer had began to call the press with very vocal complaints. The older man had already been arrested twice, once for threatening the local newspaper and then again for doing the same to the college radio station. The thought brought a smile to her red painted lips as she dragged a nervous hand through her perfectly styled blonde hair. Matt was late for almost everything other than surgery. It was something she had grown accustomed to, even though it still tended to annoy her every once and awhile.

She adjusted her pink sundress as her matching stiletto heels clicked against the wood boards beneath her feet. Flowers bloomed in the medium sized red clay pots that sat on either side of the pine bench. She could hear the water beating against the structure that she stood upon. She scanned the horizon, finding only Spoon Island and a few random boats. She kept her pattern of walking between the two set of stairs that sat on either side of a line of warehouse that stretched the water front. Most of them belonged to Sonny Corinthos for whatever various reasons he'd had for purchasing them. She felt a pair of arms wrap around her waists and let her body sink back against Matt's chest. She turned in his embrace and let her arms drape over his broad shoulders. A smile lit up her carefully made up face. "Hi honey."

Matt pressed a quick kiss to her lips before stepping back. "I have a surprise for you." He teased kept his arms around her delicate hips. He could see the pout forming on her face and couldn't help but chuckle. "It's not here. You'll have to be patient."

"I hate being patient." She reminded him as her annoyance began to trickle back to her. He knew how much she loved instant gratification and hated to wait. Actually, anyone who had ever met her knew this. She twisted her fingers into his messy brown hair as a teasing smile replaced the classic pout. "Why don't you just tell me what it is and I'll promise to act surprised anyway." Maxie pressed her lips to his cheek as her breath tickled the shell of his left ear. "You know that you want to tell me."

Matt grinned back and she realized immediately that she wasn't going to get things her way. She stomped her foot and stepped back from his warm, inviting body. He laced his fingers with her and gave her hand a little tug. "Just follow me, Mariah. All things will be revealed in due time."

"I despise due time." She pointed out helpfully as she followed him up the far set of stairs that led to Kelly's diner. It took less than two minutes to get into the courtyard that sat in front of the small, family owned restaurant. She could feel the excitement bubbling inside of her when she saw that no one else was around. They'd shared their first date at Kelly's and it was where Matt had asked to live with her. Almost all of their momentous occasions had taken place in the small building in front of her. She gripped his hand tightly, a bright smile on her porcelain face. He pushed the doors open with his free hand before covering her eyes with the same fingers. She growled with frustration but let him lead her regardless. She could hear music playing softly from the jukebox that she knew sat in the corner to her right. She placed her hands out in front of her to keep from crashing into anything. "Can I see now?"

Matt laughed as he helped lower her into a chair. "Keep your eyes closed." He warned as he removed his hand. He watched her carefully for a minute to make sure that she followed orders. When she remained dutifully situated, he dashed into the kitchen. He returned a few seconds later with a large, red box that had an easily removable lid and a giant white bow. The box shook in his usually steady hands. "Okay, open them." He pulled a chair in front of her and sat down. She carefully took the lid off, shrieking with joy as she saw the contents that were her present. "You said that you didn't have one…"

Maxie lifted the fluffy, caramel colored puppy from inside of the box. It had a matching white bow attached to it's flaming red collar. It twisted and squirmed with excitement as she cuddled it close to her chest, suddenly not worried about the perfection of her hair or outfit. "Oh, Matt, she's beautiful." She gingerly fingered the shiny cubic zirconium rock that dangled beside the dog's tag that listed her address and phone number. She buried her face into the Pomeranian's soft coat causing the puppy to lick her face joyfully.

"She needs a name." Matt reminded her with a proud smile. He scratched the top of the puppy's head, rewarding him with kisses of his own. He shifted so that he could cup Maxie's face in his palm. She beamed up at him with more happiness than he had seen in her eyes in a long time.

"Nadia." Maxie announced triumphantly. She sat the puppy back into box and catapulted herself into his expecting arms. She showered him with hundreds of kisses before finally letting her lips land on his. Her fingers tangled in his hair again as she straddled his lap. She pulled back briefly so that she could stare into his comforting gaze. "You're fantastic, you know that?" He just kept their eyes locked and waited for her to continue like he knew she would. "I love you and I don't know what I would do without you to keep me rational."

"I love you too, Mariah Jones." Matt assured her quietly as he held her close to his body. She buried her face into his neck as her arms locked around him tightly. "I'm never going to leave you. I promise." She nodded against his skin and he wondered if she actually believed him. There had been too many people that had left her when they never should have. Yet, he knew that he wasn't going to abandon her without one hell of a fight. He kissed her hair as he continued to hold her. "You are my life." He murmured simply.

Robin opened the apartment door and stepped back with surprise. She could only stare at the petite brunette that stood in front of her. The mocha eyes watched her cautiously as if the woman expected Robin to burst into tears or throw the door shut in her face. Instead, Robin moved to let the other woman into the loft. She ran a shaking hand through her auburn hair as she let the door swing shut, leaning against the wall for support. Patrick had gone to the hospital hours before, but she had just woken up after pulling a night shift. Had this girl known that? Was she watching Robin? The thought was nearly terrifying. "What are you doing here?" Robin couldn't keep the question from escaping her pale, chapped lips. The quaking moved from her hands and spread throughout her entire body. "Who sent you here?"

The woman laughed, but the sound was hollow. "Relax, Robi."

"Don't tell me to relax." Robin snapped as she walked into her own living room. She wasn't quite sure which emotion she was feeling more prominently. "It's been over a month since he was killed. Why bother to show up now? You already missed his funeral."

"You look a lot like your mom." Sam commented as she made herself comfortable on the couch. Robin glared back at her, obviously too anxious to sit still. "Don't worry, I'm not going to attack you." She promised her older sister softly. She shrugged out of her leather jacket and laid it across the arm of the sofa. "I'm working his case, Robin. I've been here for a little over three weeks. I wanted to come sooner, but…"

"So why the hell didn't you?"

Sam sighed, realizing that this wouldn't be as easy as she had hoped. There had never really been bad blood between her and Robert's other daughter, but they weren't as close as most sisters supposedly were. She could see slight similarities in their appearances and mannerisms. They were definitely related, but they each dominantly took after their respective mothers. She could see the anxiety coursing through her sister's body and felt a stab of guilt for not coming sooner. Why hadn't she? She'd been so caught up in finding Robert's killer, in not getting overly attached to the case and the people, that she had neglected the ties that she'd already had. "I'm sorry. I just wanted to find the bastard that killed him." It wasn't much of a reason and an even lousier excuse. She shrugged helplessly and leaned back into the overstuffed couch. "I can leave if you want me to."

Robin shook her head as she let herself collapse into the closest seat. She ran her hand through her hair again, obviously a nervous habit that they both shared. Robert had done it too whenever he got frustrated with something. The thought made Sam smirk. It was good to see that they each carried parts of him with them. It was a stark reminder of why she was in town and why she had to keep her head in the game. There would be time for sisterly bonding later. Right now she was just assuring herself that Robin was okay and then she was going to throw herself back into her work. She just hoped that her sister would understand that and not hold it against her. Sam knew deep down that Robert wanted them to have an actual relationship with each other and it was the least that either of them owed to their father.

"I'm glad that you got this case." Robin admitted, her voice so quiet that Sam had almost missed what she said. She cleared her throat and looked up to meet her younger sister's questioning gaze. "I can't do what you do, what he did. I'm a doctor, not a cop or agent… I can't find who did this to him. You can." She explained quickly as the tears once again began to sting her eyes. Her throat burned from all the hours that she had cried since learning of her father's death. Was it ever going to stop? She was beginning to fear not. "One of us should be the person to end this and we both know that it won't be me."

"Robin, you save lives for a living." Sam pointed out reassuringly as she leaned forward. She angled her body towards her sister's, unsure of what she could do to comfort the frail woman in front of her. She was never very good at comforting the victims or their families. She always passed that off to Felicia or one of the agents like her. Robert had always joked that Sam needed to learn from Robin's bedside manner.

Robin nodded as she brushed the tears from her slightly flushed cheeks. She looked wearied and frazzled. She didn't even want to see her actual reflection. She was fright and she knew it. Patrick was just nice enough not to ever point it out. Her purple pajamas hung loosely on her body and she knew that she was quickly becoming sickly thin. She could see the concern in Sam's eyes, which was surprising given how driven her sister was when it came to work. And, she knew, right not it was all about work. "But you'll be the one to catch our father's killer."

"I hope so." Samantha murmured softly as she made a mental note to run an extensive background check on Robin's boyfriend, Patrick. Her sister didn't look well. How great of a guy could he be if he let Robin deteriorate so quickly, regardless of the girl's reasons for no longer giving a damn. She forced a smile that she knew wasn't really cheerful or reassuring. She really had always sucked at this part of the job and now she wished she'd worked harder to perfect it. "Just hang in there, okay?" This will be over soon enough and then you'll have some closure." She really hoped that she was telling the truth, because Robin didn't look like she could handle much more. It was weird to see her big sister in this state since Robin had always seemed so confident and self-assured in Paris. They hadn't confided much in each other, but nothing seemed to make her sister falter. Not until now, anyway. "I'm going to do everything I can."

Robin laughed at the irony of her baby sister's words. "You sound like I do when I'm trying reassure a patient's family even when I know that it's a lost cause." Was it really such a bad sign that there were no leads after five weeks? It wasn't a startling amount of time. There still had to be hope to catch the person who had murdered their father. She glanced up, searching her sister's eyes for any shred of hope but not finding much of anything that would soothe her soul.

"Dad isn't a lost cause." Sam muttered, not sure whether to believe her own words or not. It was a cold case and nothing was really coming up to lead her in the right direction. Another month and the agency might pull her to work a more promising case. She knew that if someone else was put in charge then there really would be nothing to look forward to. The small town cop wasn't getting anywhere either. She was already familiar with everything, more so than almost anyone else could ever be since the victim was her father. Yet, she had more determination than anyone else could when it came to finding her guilty party. She knew that she'd find the killer one way or another. She wasn't afraid to use alternative methods. She would just have to make sure that her superiors stayed in the dark when it came to how she continued the hunt for leads. In the end, they wouldn't care. As long as they got results and justice.

Elizabeth ripped the manila folder from her husband's hands as a slightly angry pout formed on her full, pink lips. He glanced up in surprise only to find her glaring down at him. She was two days past her due date and extremely frustrated about that fact. The boys were at their great-grandmother's for the time being since she could go into labor at any given moment. "All you've been doing is working." She muttered as she stomped her foot and spun away from him. She threw the file across the room and it skidded across the floor to land in front of the fireplace. Lucky turned in his chair to stare at her as if she'd grown two heads. "Stop looking at me like that!" She snapped heatedly.

"I will." Lucky agreed quickly as he got to his feet. "As soon as you stop acting mental." He regretted the words immediately, even before seeing the tears fill her wounded eyes. He reached for her, but she shoved his hands away furiously. "Lizzie, I'm sorry. It's just this damn case."

"I'm not mental!" She screamed, suddenly enraged with the entire situation. She threw her hands up in the air as if she was giving up on everything. Her chestnut was pulled back in a quick ponytail and her clothes were pulled tight against her expanding body. "I'm fat and I'm pregnant. And this baby is never going to come out!" She sank into their sofa as the tears began to roll down her cheeks without any sign of stopping. She continued to brush Lucky's hands away from her, despite her obvious need to be comforted. "You're just working so much and I'm so uncomfortable all the time."

"Sweetie, I'm sorry." Lucky promised as he sat on the coffee table across from her. He let his hands fall across his knees, knowing that she wouldn't welcome anything from him until she calmed down slightly. "I know how exasperating this is for you."

"Really? When was the last time that you were nine months pregnant with a child that refused to ever be born? I must've missed it somehow." Elizabeth muttered as she winced. The baby had started kicking again as if she needed the reminder that the her stubborn offspring was still inside of her instead of in his cradle where he belonged. "You have no idea what this is like so don't pretend that you do, Lucky Spencer. You get to work and be comfortable. I don't get that anymore!"

"Lizzie, you will soon." Lucky assured her with a smile. She narrowed her eyes and he felt the full force of her angry stare. He couldn't help but wince as well. He watched her grip her stomach as pain washed across her features. Worry spiked his blood but he knew better than to freak out.

"Oh, how the hell would you know?" She snapped bitterly as she shifted to be at ease, an impossible task at this point in her pregnancy. The baby never liked the same position that she did which just made her even more miserable. "You did this to me, you know. Never again, Lucas Lorenzo." She swore as her stomach contracted agonizingly. She bit her lip as the tears began to streak her cheeks again. She was so sick of the hormones.

"Elizabeth, think back to when you were pregnant with Cameron or Jake." Lucky reminded her as he moved to sit beside her, wrapping a reassuring arm around her delicate shoulders. She leaned into his embrace surprisingly given her current rant against him. He lifted his free hand to brush her tears away. "You felt this same exact way both times, but it ended up working out in the end, right?" She nodded grudgingly and he could tell that she didn't want him to be right. "You even say afterwards that you had enjoyed being pregnant."

"Well obviously I'm crazy then." Elizabeth whispered brokenly as the tears continued to fall freely. Lucky closed his eyes and prayed for strength. She choked back a sob. "That's it! I've lost my mind. I'm going to have to be checked into Shadybrook and then I'll never see my kids again."

"Elizabeth." Lucky lifted her face so that their gazes could meet. She looked like the same fragile, devastated teenager that he had first fallen in love with. He pressed a quick, comforting kiss to her lips. "You're not crazy. No one will take your kids. You know better than all of that nonsense." He smoothed her hair back before letting his palm cup the back of her neck to hold her in place. "Soon we're going to be meeting our third perfect little boy and this will all seem worth it."

"That's not true, because this baby is never coming out." Elizabeth reminded him as another sob broke through her lips. He kissed her forehead, closing his eyes and holding her close. He felt it when her entire body tensed against his and she could no longer muffle the cries of pain that threatened to overcome her. Both her hands flew to her stomach as she doubled over into his arms. She cried out again and he automatically felt completely helpless. He whispered her name but she couldn't hear him over the utter agony that was swallowing her whole.

Kristina Morgan glanced around the miniscule room in Kelly's that held way too many memories for her. Milo was dutifully waiting at the bottom of the stairs, not bothering to ask any questions. No one could get in or out with out his knowledge since the fire escape was connected to the rooms across the hall and all the windows were securely locked from the inside. Everything was exactly as she had left it. There wasn't a single thing out of place. She was very careful about that. Not that her Grandpa Mike every bothered with the rooms upstairs. They were rarely rented out anymore which is why she had started using this room as her own. It was a quiet place away from home and it was all hers. It wasn't tainted by anyone, especially not by anything related to her father's business. At least it had been pure as snow before she had started to share it with Ethan. Now it held nothing but ugly moments that would just haunt her. The furniture seemed to be mocking her now that she was alone again.

How could she have been so stupid? She had mistakenly thought that they had been something more than cheap sex. He had always been so understanding and gentle with her. They'd been so close for so long that she had trusted him. She should've known better. He was Luke Spencer's son after all. Luke was the dirtiest rascal that Port Charles had ever seen the likes of. Lucky seemed to take after his mother, but Ethan was definitely his father's son. Despite the fact that he looked like his mother, Marsha Lovett. Krissy had to admit that she had been completely fooled. She had fallen for his good looks and carefully constructed lies. She didn't have much other experience when it came to boys and now she was starting to doubt that she ever would. If Ethan could betray her, than she probably couldn't trust in anyone else. He had even duped her father into thinking that she would be safe with him and Jason was always extremely cautious. No one ever tricked him into misplacing his trust. Yet, Ethan had. She bit her full, lower lip as she realized that she would have to tell her father everything soon. He was already starting to ask questions.

She brushed her fingertips across the quilt as she remembered all the times he had kissed her on this very bed. Her hand curled into a fist and she ripped the blanket from it's resting place. She grabbed the pillow next and tore a hole into it with surprising ease. Feathers flew into the air and then descended onto the floor. She shredded the sheets next. Her hands wrapped around the lamp, bulling the chord from its socket before catapulting the object against the far wall. The sound of it shattering brought her a sick sense of peace. She cleared the desk off with a single swipe of her hand and as she walked she could hear the pieces of the glass paperweight crunching beneath her high heels. She was interrupted by a knocking at the door. Someone was furiously trying to open the locked door and she found herself holding her breath until she realized that it was going to hold.

Kristina began ripping the drawers from the dresser and one of them splintered in the process. She struggled for a second before succeeding in tipping the whole thing over. The pounding from the hallway continued. "Go away!" She screamed as she finally realized that there were tears cascading down her pale cheeks. Her hands were shaking as well. "Just leave me the hell alone."

"Ms. Morgan?" Milo's yelled above the knocking. She could here the cautious worry in his voice.

"I'm fine." She assured him as she searched for something new to break. The rooms were so bare that there wasn't much else. She would have to move through the hallway into another room if she wanted to continue on her path of destruction. She could hear to voices arguing which piqued her curiosity. It had just been her and Milo. Had he called her father when he heard the ruckus she'd been creating? She flipped the lock and open the door less than an inch. She saw only Milo, but the knocking had stopped.

"Open the door." Ethan demanded as he tried to pull it open for himself. She slammed it in his face so he began hammering against the wood again. He'd either break it down or beat his hand bloody in the process. Regardless, he would get her attention. "You can't hide in there forever." He reminded her smugly. She would have to come out eventually.

"I'll remove you by force." Milo threatened, his hand moving straight for his gun. He knew how to clean up after himself and there'd be no way that he would get caught.

Krissy threw the door open as she momentarily forgot her need to hide from both the men that now stood shocked in front of her. "Don't shoot him." She scolded as she planted her hands on her narrow hips. She hated Ethan, but she wasn't going to let him die in front of her. That was more than her fragile psyche could handle and he'd already done her number as it was. "Just get him out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere." Ethan declared as he stepped towards her. She retreated back into the room as he moved to block the doorway. Milo's hand still rested upon his nine millimeter that was holstered as his waist.

Kristina sighed as she surveyed her mess through her tear blurred eyes. Ethan reached up to brush the moisture from her cheeks which only made them fall faster. "Why can't you just leave me alone? Haven't you done enough?" A sob stuck in her throat and her entire chest began to ache. "You won, Ethan! You really proved yourself as a con man this time. I was totally fooled. Are you happy? You got one over on the great Jason Morgan and his bratty kid."

"Krissy." Her name was nothing more then a reverent whisper on his lips. He cupped her neck with one hand and the back of her head with the other, successfully holding her in place as he glanced around the destroyed remains of their room. It was like a sucker punch to the gut to see what his confession had done to her. "This isn't winning." He bowed his head, too shaken to look her in the eye any longer. "This is killing me." He admitted weakly.

She laughed, a cold and hollow sound. It was if all the goodness that she had once had towards him was gone. "I highly doubt that, Lovett. Run along." She murmured as she tried, futilely, to pull free of his iron-clad grip. "Go back to Maya."

"This isn't about Maya!" He hadn't meant to shout and he could see her flinch at the sound. He was never cross with her. He had almost seemed to worship her as if she were a pure, perfect deity. Yet, he had always accepted her flaws, just the way she had accepted his. "This is about you and me. No one else."

"There is no you and me." She reminded him bitterly as she swiped at the tears that were burning her face. She finally broke free of his hold and ducked around him so that she was behind Milo. The guard picked up her bag and backed up slowly, making sure that Ethan had no opportunity to get near her again. She let him lead her back out to the car and waited until she was safely locked inside the backseat before letting the pain completely envelope her. Her broken, heart wrenching sobs echoed off the bullet proof glass as they drove off into the darkness.