A/N: Okay, General Hospital has waaaaay too many baby stories. And Elizabeth, especially, is a character that needs another child like she needs a hole in the head. So why do my fic ideas always seem to include babies? Sigh.

It had been a very long day, and so after dinner, Elizabeth took the chance to escape to bed. She was guiltily grateful that it was Lucky's weekend with the boys. Cam, at fourteen, was pretty self-sufficient, but seven-year-old Aidan was the kind of rambunctious kid you didn't leave alone for long. She simply didn't have the energy tonight and she still wasn't comfortable relying on the household staff for child-wrangling.

She eased herself onto the king-sized bed, groaning in pleasure as the mattress enfolded her. Thank God she had the day off tomorrow. Of course, she was soon approaching the point where she'd have to stop work altogether. She reached for the book on her nightstand.

She had barely gotten through half a chapter when her husband arrived, iPad and a stack of folders in hand, to settle himself into the armchair to work. He was endlessly busy, but these days never wanted to be far from her. His over-solicitude could be annoying, but most of the time, like now, it warmed her. She had nearly drifted off to sleep, when a questioned roused her.

"What do you think of Diana?"

She blinked at him. AJ was looking at her, his expression serious, expectant. "Diana who?"

His eyebrows rose slightly. "Quartermaine. Diana Quartermaine." After a pause, he added, "It means 'heavenly, divine'."

She set aside the book she'd draped over her stomach and pushed herself up a little on the bed. "You're looking up names? I thought you were going over expense reports or whatever."

"Hey, I'm a CEO, I can multi-task. Well?"

She considered. "'Divine,' huh? Like the goddess. Or Wonder Woman." She heard him grunt in amusement, she ignored him. "A strong name, then. I do like it. But..."

"But what?"

She gazed at him. "Not Emily?"

The faint smile vanished and he looked away. "I thought...it might be too painful. For my mom. To hear it all the time..."

Not just for Monica, she thought. She held out a hand to him and was relieved when he rose to join her on their bed, taking her hand in his. His free hand rested immediately on her belly.

"I understand," she said softly. "She was practically my sister, too. I was closer to her than I ever have been to Sarah."

He nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't meet her eyes. She decided a slight change of subject was in order. "So you're good with having a girl?"

His head jerked up and he stared at her. "Why would you ask me that?"

"Tracy said something the other day."

"For god's sake, don't listen to her." His brow creased, his expression edging toward angry. "Did she upset you?"

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm used to Tracy. And she wasn't even trying to be mean, just...herself."

He relaxed a little. "I suppose she's conditioned to think men want sons more than daughters. I can't really blame her - Grandfather did a number on her head. Doesn't make her any easier to deal with, though."

She nodded, but wasn't much interested in talking about Tracy. "You didn't answer my question. You're not disappointed, are you?"

"No! It's just..." he trailed off, looking oddly lost and she felt her chest tighten.

"Just what?" When he didn't answer, she squeezed his hand and softened her tone. "Hey. Talk to me."

"I'm not disappointed. I just...I wasn't expecting a girl, that's all."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "It couldn't have been that big a shock. Fifty-fifty chance, you know."

"Not really." He sat up, looking at her earnestly. "I did a little research..."

"Research?"

"...and the odds actually vary. It's the man who determines the sex..."

"Yes, I do know that," she interjected again, very dryly.

"Right, so my dad's only biological children were both boys. And Jason had two boys, too."

He must have felt her flinch, because he stopped, looking horrified. She could see the apology in his eyes and offered him a tremulous smile, hoping to stave off any verbal ones. He understood, pulling her close, before clearing his throat hard and continuing as if there had been no interruption. "And, of course, I have Michael. So the odds are actually higher than fifty percent that my next child would be a boy, too. With a little more research, I could probably figure out exactly how much higher."

"Fascinating," she told him. "But unnecessary. Since we already know we're having a girl. Personally, I'm ready for a change of pace."

"Yeah?"

"This is the last child I intend to have," she said, a little tartly. "So I'm happy to have a daughter." She studied his face. "What are you really worried about?"

He didn't speak for a long moment, before saying, in a throaty whisper. "I don't know. What if I'm a terrible dad and screw her up?"

"Oh, honey." She stroked his face, running her thumb across that strong jawline. "You're not a terrible dad at all."

"I don't know," he murmured. He stared broodingly into space. "It's not like I raised Michael, after all."

This was grief, she thought, and if it wasn't the same as hers for Jake, it was just as real. "That's not your fault," she said firmly. It's Carly's. And Sonny's. The next name came reluctantly, but it was inescapable. And Jason's. Best not to go down that road. "You're a wonderful father to Michael now. You know how much he loves you."

His face softened, taking on the same wondering, almost awed expression he wore whenever Michael called him 'Dad.'

Encouraged, she went on. "And you're so good with Cam and Aidan. Even Lucky thinks so." That was true. Lucky and AJ were even friends now, which still struck her as weird, even as she was grateful for it. "And I have exactly zero doubt that you'll be a great father to Diana."

He looked at her, eyes bright with unshed tears, and smiled. "Diana?"

"Diana Emily Quartermaine. I don't think that will be too painful for anyone, do you?"

"I think that's perfect." He kissed her deeply, love and appreciation and understanding flowing between them and extending to their daughter, who kicked vigorously as if in approval.

Elizabeth gasped, and AJ grinned down at where his hand still rested on her belly. "I guess that makes it unanimous!"