Fandom: General Hospital
Title: Living A Lie
Characters: Nikolas, Maxie, Sam
Pairing: A spot of Nixie, Saxie
Rating/Warnings: R. AU, FemSlash, Het, OOC, Strong Language.
Summary: What happens when Maxie is ready to stop living a lie? How will Nikolas take it when his bride-to-be leaves him for his cousin Sam?
A/N: Thanks to Judy for everything and to the readers.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything you recognize and I make no money for writing this.

*Living A Lie*

She was so ashamed of herself. Tears slid down her cheeks and she viciously wiped them away, leaving a red mark on her face where her nail had scratched.

She was supposed to be marrying Nikolas today. They had been together for two years now, but something held her back from going into the church.

So here she stood in the middle of the street, in the rain no less, in Port Charles New York on the day of her wedding for the entire world to see.

But no matter how long she stood there, she couldn't make herself go inside. So she stood in the rain, her body shivering from the cold as she wished she were somewhere else.

The squeal of tires nearby startled Maxie out of her thoughts and she looked up in time to see a motorcycle coming at her.

Moments later it stopped in front of her and the driver took off their helmet. Blue eyes met brown ones and before Maxie could speak Sam said, "You wanna get out of here?"

Maxie didn't waste any time. She clutched her small purse tightly, pulled her dress up a little, hopped onto the motorcycle behind Sam and slipped her arms around the older woman's waist.

Just as Sam put her helmet back on and revved the engine, the doors to the church flew open and Nikolas and the whole wedding party came dashing down the stairs.

"Maxie, wait!" Nikolas shouted as Sam stepped on the gas and then she and Maxie were flying down the street in the rain.

It wasn't long before they pulled up to Sam's apartment where both of them got off the motorcycle and headed inside.

Sam unlocked the door to her apartment and motioned Maxie inside. Once they were inside, Sam closed and locked the door as Maxie stood in the middle of her living room.

"Thanks for that," Maxie said when Sam turned back to her. Sam didn't reply at first. She simply stared at Maxie who was still shivering as rain dripped from every inch of her dress and body.

"No problem," Sam said simply, with a shrug of her shoulders. They weren't friends. They didn't even know each other very well.

Sam had pretty much ignored Maxie's entire existence until her cousin Nikolas had said that he was marrying the blonde.

Now though, Sam could see the desperation in Maxie's blue eyes. Maxie's desperation matched her own.

They both had the same desperate need to be understood or loved even without being understood.

Sam shook her thoughts away and then headed for the bedroom. She grabbed a set of clothes for Maxie and then exited the bedroom and handed the blonde the clothes.

Maxie accepted the clothes with a soft, "Thanks." She laughed and then said, "That's all I seem to be saying to you today."

Sam shrugged and then said, "Could be worse. You could still be standing in front of the church in the rain."

Maxie nodded and then went to change in the bathroom. When she returned to the living room a few minutes later her wedding dress in hand, Sam took the dress and brought it to the bathroom to hang over the bathtub.

When she walked into the living room again, she saw Maxie slip her cell phone back into her small purse before turning back to her.

"Nikolas called?" Sam asked gently and she was surprised when Maxie shook her head.

"No, I sent him a text message. I also unplugged your phone so that he doesn't call. I hope you don't mind," Maxie said as she ran a hand through her still-wet hair.

Sam shrugged. "That's fine. I really don't want to hear from Prince Nikolas right now. But since we're talking about it, what did the message say?"

Maxie looked up at Sam and then said, "I told Nikolas that I can't marry him. As if he didn't already know that. But anyway, I told him that I couldn't keep living a lie."

Sam nodded and then said, "So what does this mean for you and Nikolas and why would you have to live a lie?"

Maxie sighed as Sam took a seat next to her on the couch. "It means that Nikolas and I were never supposed to be together. He was my cover for so long so that I could hide from myself and from everybody else."

Maxie paused as she thought about what else she wanted to say. Moments later she started to speak again.

"I have the feeling that my family would disown me if they knew I was a lesbian. That's why I had to hide who I truly am. I don't think I could take their rejection if they found out."

Sam didn't know what to do as she listened to the beautiful blonde speak. However, she found herself wondering what it would be like to kiss the other woman.

In a move that surprised both of them Sam scooted closer on the couch. She rested a hand on Maxie's neck and led the other woman's lips to her own.

When their lips touched they felt sparks and instantly pulled apart. The two women stared at each other for a few moments, before their lips connected again and pretty soon they were trying to get as close to each other as possible.

When they pulled apart a second time, Sam said, "I don't think we should be doing this. You almost got married today."

Maxie reluctantly nodded and moved over on the couch a little. The two women spent the rest of the night watching a movie, all the while Maxie had a hand on Sam's leg, rubbing small circles as it seemed to move closer and closer to where Sam wanted it most to be.

They would deal with Nikolas and the disastrous non-wedding in the morning. But for now it was only them and nothing was going to keep them from being together, even if it was only for one night.

The end.