A/N: Hi everyone. This first chapter has been sitting in a file on my computer for a while now waiting for me to find some direction for the rest of the story. I think I might have finally figured out where I want it to go, so now i'm ready to share. I hope I will be able to incorporate a lot of answers to the many questions that were raised in part one of this story, and also bring about some new drama and story for part two. :)

I haven't read this over too carefully, so excuse any errors.

We pick up a little over a year from the conclusion of part one. Oh, and I hope Danny isn't too hard to "understand" for anyone. He has a little speech impediment ;)

As always, let me know what you think! :)

Chapter One: Happy Birthday!

"Go ahead… go in!"

Alexis looked up from her desk at the sound of her daughter's soft voice outside of the door. As she removed her glasses, a pair of wide blue eyes appeared through the crack, immediately bringing a smile to her face.

"Go in, silly!" Sam laughed as she nudged Danny into the office, a bundle of balloons trailing high above him.

"Happy Buhffday, Gwamma!" Danny smiled brightly, standing proud.

"What a surprise!" Alexis enthused as she rose from her desk and walked to the front to meet them. "Come here!" She kneeled in front of Danny, outstretching her arms to which his jumped inside for a big hug.

"Dese ahw foh you!" He held out his hand that was holding tightly to the bundle of strings.

"Thank you, my love." She smiles as she took them from him, "Did you hold all of these balloons yourself?" He nodded. "And you didn't blow away?"

"No!" Danny smiled proudly, "I stwong!"

"You are strong!" Kissing his head, she then stood up from the floor, smiling to her eldest daughter, "Hi, sweetheart."

"Happy birthday, mom." Sam smiled as she brought out a small pot of flowers from behind her back, "I know it isn't much…"

"Oh, they are beautiful!" Alexis admired them, before taking her daughter into a hug, "Thank you so much."

"We bwinged cake too!" Danny announced from where he now was spinning as he sat in his grandmother's desk chair.

"You did?" Alexis questioned, turning with a raised brow to her daughter who revealed a small round birthday cake in her other hand. "Aw… thank you. That's so sweet." She kissed her daughter's forehead before heading to her desk with the flowers and balloons.

"One problem…" Sam looked around the room skeptically as she set the cake on the desk, "We have no utensils… or plates."

"Oh," Alexis laughed, "Well… lucky for you I have a collection. Thanks to take-out…"

"Time fuh cake?" Danny questioned as his grandmother came around the desk and finally stopped the spinning chair. His eyes widened as he looked up to meet her, "Whoa."

"Yeah, whoa. A little dizzy?" She chuckled as she retrieved plates and forks from her desk drawer.

"Yeah," Danny nodded, "We hab cake now?"

"Yes, we can have cake now." Sam reassured her son as she sliced a few pieces and dished them onto the three plates.

"Yayy!" Danny jumped off of the chair and scurried to the front of the desk where he looked curiously at the sweet treat, "Can I hab da fwowuh?"

"Well, I think the birthday girl should get the first choice…" Sam smiled to her mother, who rolled her eyes playfully.

"You can have the flower, honey." Alexis nodded to Danny who smiled sweetly.

"Mmmm! I yub da fwow-uhs!" His eyes were wide as saucers as his mother set his flower piece on the desk and he began to dig in.

"Honey, why don't you sit?" His grandmother pulled one of the large leather chairs up to the desk as he took his cake and walked around to his previously occupied chair.

"I yike dis one."

Alexis grimaced, watching as the cake teetered on the plate before Danny finally set it down on the desk in front of him. He could no sooner put a large bite in his mouth before going back to spinning.

"Na-ah…" Reaching out, she stopped the chair, prompting a signature scowl from Danny, "Just sit. Okay?"

"I yike spinning…" Watching her curiously, he attempted to pry her fingers from the chair, "Pweeze?"

"Daniel…" Sam warned as she sat down across from him with her own piece of cake as Danny sighed in defeat and went back to his own.

"Eat first. Spin later…" Alexis kissed his head before picking up her cake and joining her daughter on the other side of the desk.

"He doesn't need to spin at all…"

"Well it's a compromise." Alexis shrugged, enjoying her first bite.

"Really mom? What happened to, I'm your mother and I say so?"

"That doesn't work…"

"Coming from someone who lives by it…" Sam shook her head with a chuckle.

"Do as I say, not as I do." She shrugged. "This cake is delicious. Thank you both very much for bringing it. It's just what I needed to brighten my birthday."

"Well, that's good, because that's exactly what we wanted to do… huh Danny?"

"Yep," Danny nodded happily, now perched on his knees and twisting his lower body from side to side, "I picked-ed fowah bayoons!"

"I see that," Alexis chuckled, watching as Danny held up his four fingers.

"Yes, well, Danny insisted that you couldn't have any more or any less."

"Let me guess, four was the number on Sesame Street this morning?" Alexis raised a brow as Sam chuckled and nodded, bringing them both to laughter.

"What so funny?" Danny tilted hid head curiously as he held on to the edge of the desk, still twisting.

"You are!" his grandmother teased, shaking her head when he lowered his brow, "Just eat your flowers, silly boy."

"So, did you hear from Dad today?"

"I did…" Alexis smiled, she pointed to the corner of the room, "And I got that beautiful bouquet of roses delivered this morning."

"Aww…" Sam smiled, "They are gorgeous. But, I take it he isn't going to make it home tonight?"

"Sam, it's unreasonable to expect him to…"

"You're not the unreasonable one in this situation, mom…"

"I know that. But it isn't his fault."

"I know that too," Sam concedes. "I do know that. But, I don't know… I just feel like you should stand up for yourself a little bit more."

"That wouldn't help anything… it would only put your father in more of an impossible position. If we ever want Julie out of the picture, I have to give him enough space to take care of things."

"I think you've been doing just fine with that since he's been in New York for almost a month!"

"Sam, come on. What do you want me to do? Call him and beg him to come home and take me to dinner for my birthday?"

"No…," Sam sighs, setting her empty plate on the desk, "I just really think that it's unfair that the minute that stupid Julie comes calling, you get left in the dust…"

"No say stoop-ed, momma!" Danny scolds.

"I'm sorry, Danny. Won't happen again." Sam sighed after Danny went back to his cake.

"Listen, sweetheart. I really appreciate you being concerned about my feelings, but I'm really fine. I am just fine."

"Mom…"

"What?"

"Then why did Molly call me and say that you were sitting in the dark in the kitchen in the middle of the night last night?"

"Oh, I get it now…" Alexis nodded knowingly, picking up both of their plates and taking them to the garbage, "This wasn't just a sweet impromptu birthday cake surprise… this was a 'let's run damage control to keep mom from being depressed on her birthday…'"

"Hey! That's not fair. This certainly was not impromptu; this has been planned for weeks. Danny and I couldn't wait to surprise you for your birthday."

Alexis sighed at her daughter's pout, "I'm sorry… that was an overreaction. I really appreciate all of this. I'm sorry…"

"It's okay. But tell me why you were crying last night…"

"Sam, please… I wasn't crying!" She exclaimed, and then paused, "I'm fine. I really am… but, I will tell you one thing- I do miss you two…" Sam shrunk into her chair and a trace of guilt crossing her face.

"I know. We miss you too…"

"No you don't… you're just saying that."

"Mom…"

"What?" Alexis smiled.

"It's not like we moved to Nigeria. We are literally two miles from your house."

"I know," She looked over at Danny who was still happily chowing down on his cake, "It's just so quiet without you there… I get up in the middle of the night and Danny's room is empty… your room is empty."

"You used to check on me in the middle of the night?" Sam raised a brow.

"Yes… do you have a problem with that?"

"No…" She smiled, "No, I just never knew that you did that."

"Well, I did. And now I have much farther to travel in order to do that." She chuckled when her daughter's eyes widened, "Don't worry… I'm not stalking you."

"You could if you want…" She took her mother's hand, "You know you can come over whenever you want to, right?"

"I know… but you need your space. You and Danny, you have your own life now. Your own separate home." Alexis felt the tears stinging her eyes and she knew she couldn't let Sam know how much this recent change was really affecting her. She quickly stood up and moved to the desk, pulling some tissues from the box to clean Danny's cake covered face. The little boy met her eyes, studying her carefully.

As he placed his little hand on her face, she couldn't keep the tears from falling, "No cwy, gwamma. It okay."

"Oh, Danny…" Alexis chuckled a little, shaking her head to try and keep her emotions from escalating.

"Mom…" Sam stood up to move closer to her, "See, I knew you weren't okay!"

"I'm fine!" Alexis shook her head, crossing her arms as she rested against her desk, "It's just that… with Kristina in Greece, and you moving out and now Molly keeps waiting every day to hear from NYU. In a few months she will be gone…"

"Mom, you're not alone. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have been harping on the whole Dad and Julie thing. He will be back in no time." Sam rubbed her mother's back, "And who knows… maybe once this whole thing is over and the divorce is final… he can move in with you!"

"Why don't we take it once day at a time, hmm?" Alexis sniffled as she wiped away the rest of her tears. She wrapped an arm around her daughter, "I'm okay. Don't worry about me. I think I'm just overwhelmed, that's all."

"Well… you're about to be more overwhelmed tonight, so prepare yourself." Sam raised a mischievous brow.

"That's a very good overwhelmed, though!" Alexis smiled as Sam made her way back around the desk and began cleaning up the small mess from the cake, "Molly's baking a cake, you know. From scratch."

"Where did she come from?" Sam was baffled. Her sister definitely skipped out on the kitchen phobia gene.

"That Corinthos gene…" Alexis shook her head as Sam put the cover back on the cake and brought it over to the small refrigerator for safe-keeping. "Well, look at that… I have left over cake that I can eat all by myself!" She teased ruffling Danny's hair as he looked up at her curiously, "What?"

"You eat da cake?"

"Maybe I will!"

"Oh." Danny's face fell as he looked away before quickly being scooped into his grandmother's arms.

"But maybe I think I can probably share a little bit with a cute little blue-eyed boy…" She kissed his cheeks as he giggled, "But only if he comes to visit me!"

"She's going to see a lot of us today, huh?" Sam reminded, "But right now I think we should go because it's somebody's nap time…"

"Not ti-yud" Danny shook his head fiercely.

"I wouldn't doubt it after all of that sugar…"

"Well, listen," Alexis got his attention, "You take a good nap for mommy and then tonight you get to come over for a party and more cake!"

"Moh-wa?" Danny's eyes were wide and saucers.

"Yep! More! But only if you take a nap…"

"Yet's go!" Danny squirmed.

"Just a minute…I think you're forgetting something." Alexis looked at him curiously before he swiftly wrapped his arms around her neck.

"Yub you, gwamma."

"I love you two, sweetie." She smiled, closing her eyes and she hugged him tightly before they broke away and she set him on his feet.

"Okay," Sam took his hand, leaning down to his ear, "Tell her Happy Birthday again."

"Happy Buhffday!" Danny smiled sweetly from where he stood with his mom.

"Thank you so very much." Alexis met eyes with her daughter, "Both of you… it means the world to me that you came here today."

"I love you… see you tonight."

"See you tonight," She nodded, "Love you too…"

"Happy Biiiiirthdayyyy toooo youuuuu!" With Danny in her lap for reinforcement, together they blew out the candles bringing about cheers and applause from the group.

"Yay!" Danny clapped excitedly, "Mowah cake!"

Alexis laughed as the lights were turned back on, "Molly, this cake looks delicious. I can't believe you made it all by yourself."

"Thank you," Molly smiled as she worked to remove the candles and begin cutting the cake. "I have to say it wasn't entirely by myself though… I did have some help."

"Oh, did you?" Alexis glanced to Sonny who was smiling in the corner, "You called on your secret uncle weapon, huh?"

"Well… I couldn't really figure out the frosting thing… and it's a good thing I did call him because did you know there is a such thing as whipping cream?"

"No…" Alexis' eyes were wide, "I know what whipped cream is…"

"Mom…" Sam rolled her eyes.

"Well, anyway. I was almost going to use the entirely wrong thing but Uncle Sonny saved the day."

"Isn't that wonderful." Alexis smiled cheekily as Sonny simply shrugged in his humble, not so humble way. She noticed Sam looking out the window, "Sam?" no response, "You got a hot date?"

"Huh?" Sam swiftly turned in her mother's direction, "What? No… no. I just uh…"

"She's worried it's going to rain…" Molly recovered as she handed her mother and Danny their pieces of cake, "She's worried it's going to rain and there may or may not be something outside that can't get wet."

"Oh really?" Alexis smiled cheekily, "Is there a present out there for me?"

"Oh, will you just eat your cake?" Sam dismissed her as she took a seat in the adjacent chair, Sonny taking one on the other side.

"Molly! This is really good!" He smiled to his niece, "You did a really great job. Your grandmother would be proud."

"Thank you!" Molly watched as her nephew furiously dug into the cake with his fork, "Do you like it, Danny?"

"Yes," He nodded before shoving another rather large bite into his mouth.

"With all this cake today, you're not going to sleep for a week." Alexis chuckled as she kissed Danny's head and looked up to find her daughter yet again looking in the other direction, "Sam, will you relax? If you're so worried… why don't you just give me my gift, already?"

"Okay…" Sam simply smiled to her mother, before glancing back in the direction of the door.

"What?" Alexis took note of the peculiar demeanor before looking around the table and noticing the same goofy grins on Molly and Sonny's faces, "What's the matter with you?"

"Come here, Danny…" Sam transferred Danny from Alexis lap to hers. "Let grandma go see her present."

"What?" Alexis looked at her curiously before a movement from the doorway caught her eye. Turning in that direction, her jaw dropped and tears immediately flooded her eyes. "Oh my God…"

"Happy Birthday!"