Hi All, thank you for reading my story and taking interest. This is a one-shot and one of my many stories on this site. I really appreciate the time you are taking to read.

This is the time when Michael was going to prison. What happens when Sonny and Lily's daughter survives? What is her relationship with her guard? How will she feel when she learns of Dante's betrayal?

GH at it's finest. The Corinthos clan going through a rough time…how will it all turn out? Stay tuned!

Please review, favorite, follow, or like!

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Chapter 1- Light at the End of the Tunnel

It's hard being the child of a mobster, but things seemed to have gotten worse lately. Her father was on trial for the murder of his ex-wife, Claudia Zacharra. The whole wedding from the beginning was a disaster and was doomed. Her father only married Claudia for a truce between the Corinthos and Zacharra families. No one thought it was a good idea but he still went through with it.

All under the watchful eye of his #1 man, Jason Morgan. Jason was a particular kind of man. He had many talents and a strong protectiveness for his family and the people he loves.

It was no secret that she was in love with Jason. She has since she was a kid. Everyone knows it but neither of them will admit it. They have an understanding that there was something there between them. It wasn't the time for them.

Things in the Corinthos family have been hectic. It was just recently that the Corinthos kids found out that they had a long lost brother, a long lost cop brother. The son of Sonny Corinthos and Olivia Falconeri from Benson Hurst. He only recently came to Port Charles to go undercover in the Corinthos organization to try and take down Sonny.

It was when Sonny found out that Dante was a cop and shot him that he found out that he was his father. Twisted, but that's her family.

It was true that the facts were confusing and if everyone in town didn't already know everything about the situation, they would think that she was beyond crazy, but it was her life and she wouldn't have it any other way.

To start from the beginning, all the chaos started when her brother was shot a year ago and put into a coma. During that time, her dad married Claudia and before Michael woke up, Claudia got pregnant. Due to a complicated pregnancy, she lost the baby. Then, a miracle happened and Michael woke up.

He didn't remember much, but everyone in the family was glad he was okay. For Claudia's birthday, Sonny threw a party. Everyone in Port Charles was invited. It was a big blowout. Her dad found out Claudia ordered the hit on her little brother and he called her out on it and that's when all hell broke loose.

She went nuts.

She took Carly, Michael and Morgan's mom, her once upon a time step-mom, hostage. Claudia was there when Carly went into labor. She tried to steal her baby. Michael showed up first. He saw Claudia steal his baby sister and his mom hurt, so he reacted, grabbed an axe handle and hit Claudia.

Jason was the next to arrive. He initiated the cover up. He didn't want Michael to get into trouble so he told everyone to cover up the truth and Sonny took the blame for him.

Now he was on trial for her murder. Lena and the rest of the kids were waiting outside the courtroom waiting for the verdict on their brother.

It only took a minute, in the middle of the trial that Dante waltzed into the courtroom, "it was Michael, we have a new confession" he said.

The kids and Lena all looked at each other in shock. The judge looked at all the evidence. "I sentence Michael Corinthos Jr. to 5 yrs. in Pentonville penitentiary. You can get out in 2 years with good behavior" the judge said before leaving the courtroom with his final verdict.

Carly let out a chocked sob. Lena put her hand over her mouth to hide her sobbing. Her brother just got sentenced to 5 yrs. in prison. She couldn't show her sister or brother that she was crying. She tried her hardest to hide her tears.

Carly and Jason came out of the courtroom with Jason trying to calm her down. He needed her to take control and be strong for Michael.

Everyone else in the courtroom just sat there in shock. They couldn't believe what happened.

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Mac Scorpio, Police Commissioner walked over to one of his officers. "Lucky, listen, I know this doesn't fall under your job description, but we have a prisoner being transferred to Pentonville. I'd consider it a personal favor if you handle it" the commissioner said.

"Which prisoner?" Lucky asked.

Mac waited a second before answering. "Michael Corinthos" he said.

Lucky let out a sigh. "Judge gave him 5 years for man-slaughter" Mac informed him.

Lucky looked at his boss surprised. "What?" he couldn't comprehend.

"Look, he can be out in 2 yrs. with good behavior. I know it stinks. Michael tried to confess to me and I didn't believe him" Mac admitted.

"Yeah well I was the one who brought him in" Lucky replied. He felt really guilty.

Mac gave him a nod of gratitude before walking away. He trusted Lucky to handle the situation with dignity. Things were bad enough for everyone, they needed to handle the situation with baby hands.

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Courtroom….

"Come on, let's go" Lulu, Dante's girlfriend said to him.

"Yeah, that's right Dante, run along" Johnny Zacharra said. Johnny knew what it was like to grow up the child of a mobster. He may hate Sonny, but he liked and respected the Corinthos kids.

Dante's mother stuck up for him. "Johnny" she started.

"No, no run you sick selfish, righteous bastard" Johnny yelled at him.

"Enough" his mom said.

Even his girlfriend added to the defense. "Shut up, Dante never…" she was interrupted by Johnny blowing up. He couldn't take it anymore. He liked Michael and he knew that the effect of what Dante just did was going to haunt that kid for the rest of his life.

"No, Sonny was finally going to pay. Finally go to prison. Finally, be accountable for all the misery that he's inflicted on all the families that he's hurt and Dante, protected him again. You protected him and destroyed the life of your brother in the process. Well done detective! BRA-FREAKING-O!" he said before getting up to leave.

"You're seriously blaming Dante for this. You heard what he said to the judge, he never wanted Michael to go to prison" Lulu said sticking up for her boyfriend.

"NO, no what Dante wanted, what he really wanted was to protect his father" Johnny replied only to be yelled at by Olivia.

"Johnny, honey that's enough" she said.

Johnny went to stand before Dante, "congratulations, you ruined your brother's life" he said to the eldest Corinthos before walking out.

"Come on honey," Olivia said to Dante. She wanted him to get up and leave.

Dante waved her off, "I don't want to go anywhere right now" he replied.

Sonny turned to them, "why are we all waiting? Everything is said. I need to talk to my lawyer and try to fix things" Sonny said.

Lulu pushed him out, "Dante, let's go" she said.

He gave Sonny one more look before walking out. Once he to the doors of the courtroom, Morgan came at him full swing.

"You liar" he yelled hitting Dante in the chest.

"Morgan, honey" Lulu tried to stop him but couldn't.

Dante grabbed his hands so he couldn't swing them anymore. "You promised Michael would never go to prison. You said everything was going to be okay. You lied to get me to tell you where Michael was. You pretended you cared about me, but you just wanted to hurt Michael because you hate him. Because Michael is dad's favorite. I hate you" Morgan cried.

"Morgan" Dante tried to get him to stop and focus, "Morgan I don't hate Michael okay" he added.

"You're a liar, a snitch. I hate you! I wish you would have died when dad shot you" he yelled.

"Morgan, hey listen" Sonny had come over in the middle of the fight.

"Listen to me, you don't mean that" Sonny said.

"Yes I do. Dante sent Michael to prison and I wish he was dead" Morgan defended his words.

"This is not what Michael would want for you. He wouldn't want you angry, hating people, threatening to kill people. You know what your brother would want for you, he would want a better life for you. Better than mine and better than Dante's" Sonny tried to calm his youngest son down.

"I'm like you dad. I'm stupid, I trusted Dante when he's a freaking liar" Morgan emphasized the word liar.

"We're all stupid Morgan, we all trusted him" Kristina agreed with her little brother. "Kristina that's not…" Dante tried to defend himself but failed.

"Screw you liar. You were so nice to me when I got beaten up. We're you just using me too, to find out where Michael was" she yelled.

"No I didn't. I swear to you. I swear on my life I didn't mean to hurt Michael" Dante got his sentence out.

"But you did hurt Michael. Kristina is right, you're despicable. Michael is a hero and you did nothing to protect him. Maybe you think that's your job because you're a cop, but cops are supposed to help people, not send them to prison for helping their mom and baby sister" Molly, their cousin yelled.

"Stop, you guys are not being fair" Lulu defended her boyfriend.

"Shut up Lulu. You come and talk to me about being fair when Lucky and Nicholas send you to prison and betray your family. So until you are going through the hurt of your little brother that you watched grow up being sent to prison for 5 yrs. of his life, then come talk to me. So until then, shut up" Lena yelled at her.

"You guys should not even be here, Lena, do me a favor just take them home" Sonny said trying to put an end to the argument.

"We aren't going home; we are going to see Michael" Morgan said.

"I can't let you do that" Sonny said.

"We didn't ask for your permission. Michael is our brother and he needs us," Lena said before standing in front of her older brother. "Don't even think about bringing my family's names to your head. Don't think about us, don't talk about us, don't breathe a word of our names. If you even think about coming near anyone of us, you better pray that I don't find you because I can promise you that they won't find a hair from your head" Lena promised before pushing her brother and sister away.

They made their way to the police station to see her brother. He needed them and they were going to be there for him.

Michael was dressed in the orange jumpsuits that they wear in prison. Lucky let them in. He knew this was a rough time for them. That was the worst moment in her life, seeing her brother dressed like a criminal.

Lena was his last goodbye. "I don't want you to be scared okay. You'll be fine" she tried to stay positive for him. She didn't want him to be scared.

He smiled at her but he saw through the words, "I'll miss you too Lee" he put his arms up so she could step in between the chains to hug him. "I love you Michael. Be safe" she said as they all watched him be taken away, sobbing and crying for him. The reality hitting them like a ton of bricks.

"Lena, can you watch the kids tonight?" Carly asked.

"Yeah sure" Lena replied. She knew that Carly needed some time to herself to process everything that happened. She also recognized the look in her eyes. It was in her eyes when she got a crazy idea.

"Lena, can we get some dinner?" Molly asked.

Her cute little cheeks were stained with tears. They were all devastated. "Sure, how about we go to Kelly's and see Grandpa Mike?" she suggested.

They all nodded and piled in her car so they could make their way to Kelly's. Lena didn't even know how she got there she could barely see straight. Her eyes were full of tears, making her vision blurry.

When they got there, Mike stepped up and greeted them with hugs and squeezed them close. "Hey grandpa" Kristina greeted.

"Hi sweetie, are you guys okay?" he asked.

"We're dealing" Lena cut the conversation short.

"Good, what can I get you guys?" he asked.

"Krissy, just order me my usual and pick a table, I have to call the hospital" Lena informed her sister.

In reality, she called the one person who could stop Carly from doing something stupid. She saw the look in her eye at the police station. She knew that she was going to go after Dante. Nothing meant more to Carly than her kids. Family was the world to her. Mess with that and you pay. Everyone knew she was going to make Dante pay. After leaving Jason a message, she called the hospital. Robin was more willing to switch out shifts with her.

She needed to spend a few days with her siblings and be there for them. Dinner was quiet. The whole way to Lena's apartment the kids were quiet.

"Hey guys, take a seat, I need to talk to you" she motioned for them to make themselves comfortable on the couch. Lena sat on the coffee table in front of them. She needed to get this out.

"As your big sister and cousin, it is my job to look out for you. We are all sad about Michael going to prison, but we have to do what he would want. We have to move on. I promise to always be here for each of you. If you ever need anything or want to talk, I'm here" Lena said while waiting for a reaction out of one of them.

"I'm mad at Dante" Morgan said.

"Why?" Lena asked. She needed to push them to get this out.

He looked at her confused. "Because he makes people trust him, then tares their heart out! He made all of us believe in him. We trusted him, but he's a liar" he yelled, tears running down both their faces.

"Why?" she asked.

"He took Michael away" he sobbed.

Lena moved to the middle of them all and wrapped her arms around him. "I'm scared for Michael" Kristina added.

"I'm worried" Molly chimed in.

Lena cuddled up to all of them, trying to fit them all in a hug. "I know, me too guys, I am feeling all of that but we have to be strong for Michael" she comforted. With all the crying, the venting and when the stress and reality of the day finally hit them, they crashed.

Jason had caught up to Carly. He stopped her from doing whatever it is she wanted to do with Dante. She ended up at Sonny's. They needed to process what just happened to their family and what this was going to do to their son.

"Sonny did Lena come by here with the kids?" Carly asked. Lena told her she may be by to stop and check on their dad but that wasn't the case.

"No, why?" he asked worried.

"I had her take the kids for the night. She told me they were going to stop by. Usually I would be fine, but they haven't called" Carly explained.

Both Sonny and Carly got worried. They were a tad overprotective at the moment, so their mama/papa lion fever kicked in.

"Did you call the apartment?" Sonny asked trying not to jump to any conclusions.

"Yes I did. No one answered. It went straight to voicemail. Jason hasn't seen her either" she said covering all her bases.

"Okay, then let's go check her apartment. I am sure they just got busy doing something and forgot to check in" he said.

Only her dad had a key to the apartment in-case of an emergency. Plus, she didn't want Max or Milo breaking down my door. The ride to the apartment didn't take long.

Lena only lived 10 minutes from the hospital, 20 minutes from Sonny, and 30 minutes from Jason. She needed something close to work, all the other aspects just added to the perks.

Sonny didn't even bother knocking. He just used his key. Both parents smiled and let out a sigh of relief when they saw the kids. Their kids were safe and all together. They were huddled on the couch, the TV on, fast asleep.

Taking advantage of the moment, Sonny and Carly went to have dinner. Lena had some left-over pasta in the fridge, so Sonny just made enough for everyone.

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Pentonville….

Jason Morgan sat in the Pentonville waiting area waiting to see Anthony Zacharra. He was only doing this for one reason; to keep Michael protected.

Anthony was more than surprised when he saw Jason Morgan sitting there waiting to talk with him. He smirked and took a seat opposite his enemy.

"Jason Morgan, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked.

"We both know why I'm here. It was Michael who killed Claudia. He was sentenced to 5 years; out in 2 years with good behavior" Jason turned into Stone Cold. He kept his features emotionless.

"That's unfortunate. What's it got to do with me?" Anthony asked.

"I need you to protect Michael while he's in here. No one will touch him if they know he's under your protection" Jason reasoned.

This was the only way he could guarantee Michael's safety. "What do I get in return?" Zacharra laughed contemplating it.

"Johnny has been getting reckless. I give you my word that no harm will come to him if you do this for Michael" Jason said.

Anthony looked at him shocked. He couldn't believe Jason just said that. He could tell that he could trust him. Jason as sensible. He would keep his word, so Zacharra agreed. Jason left Pentonville with a little hope. Hope that Michael would be okay.

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The only thing that woke Lena up that night was the smell. She could almost taste the food it smelled so good. She carefully got off the couch and went into the kitchen.

Sonny was busy over the stove and Carly helped herself to a glass of wine at the kitchen table. "Help yourself Carly. Please, make yourselves at home" she teased as she joined her at the island.

"How are you holding up?" Sonny asked.

Lena let out a shaky breath. "Well, I would say I am better than your other kids, but that's because I have work to distract me" she replied.

Sonny nodded and went back to making dinner. She turned to Carly and looked at her knowingly. She knew that Carly did something.

Carly looked at her shocked. "Me?" she feigned innocence.

Lena let out a laugh, "Yes you. What did you do?" she asked.

Carly relented and gave the truth this time. "No, I didn't do what you think I did. I didn't kill him" she replied.

"Good, save that for me would you" she replied.

Both her and Sonny looked at Lena shocked. Usually she was the peacemaker in the family. She didn't like causing trouble, but this time she didn't cause it, Dante did. He started this whole thing and now he should suffer the consequences.

"Don't look at me like that. He just sent my baby brother away to prison. I hope to never see Dante again" she replied to their shocked expressions.

Before Sonny could start defending his eldest son, her pager went off. "It's a 911. I have to go, lock up before you leave" she said giving Carly a hug bye. Sonny didn't do anything. He was caught between a rock and a hard place. He knew that she was pissed at him for defending Dante.

The hospital was a mess. There were patients everywhere. The ED was packed. Leo was waiting at the desk going over a chart, waiting for her. "Hey, sorry about Michael" he expressed his condolences.

She smiled at him, "thanks. So, tell me why it's a zoo in here" she said looking around the lobby.

He looked at the board. "We only have 3 attending's here, including you" he explained.

She nodded and knew what that meant. She also knew what she needed to do. She walked over to the hub, cleared the counter, stood up on it and whistled to get everyone's attention. When all eyes were on focused on her, she began her speech.

"Everyone, I am Dr. Rivera. I'm sorry for the wait, we are short staffed tonight" she explained. Epiphany handed her a list of available rooms and people. "Okay, I want everyone who has been waiting over 3 hours to raise their hand," she ordered.

Almost 1/3 of the waiting room put their hand up. "Okay, nurses take two patients at a time and get them set up" she called out. They waited until the patients were settled before moving on.

Eventually the waiting room was empty. Lena had sent them back into the exam rooms a group a time, based on their injuries and the time they were waiting in the ED.

Leo, Patrick and Lena were flying out of patient's rooms. Mostly everyone was non-critical, but there were a few that needed to be admitted. It took 6 total hours to be done with all the patients and their paperwork. It was exhausting.

She finally finished all her charts and got them filed before she slumped in between the two men on the couch in the lobby.

"I don't think I have ever seen so many patients in my life" Patrick said.

"Me either, that was beyond crazy" Leo added.

"You can say that again" she argued with the boys.

They looked at her like they just realized she was there. "You should go home and be with your family" Patrick said to her.

"I appreciate your concern, but I am fine. It's my younger siblings I'm worried about" she refused to give them any other explanations.

Before either boys could push the matter anymore, Epiphany came over with a chart. "Dr. Rivera, the patient asked for you specifically" she said.

She nodded and looked over the chart. It was a gunshot wound. She ran to the room right away, thinking the patient was Jason or Johnny. When she opened the door, she froze. It was Dante, with Olivia sitting on the chair next to him.

"Please help him" she pleaded.

She walked right to the phone and called Epiphany at the desk. "Hey Epiphany, can you please send Patrick to room 33 please. Tell him it's nothing urgent but I need his help with a patient" she said into the phone.

Dante and Olivia just waited for her to say something. She checked his vitals without saying a word. Just as she was updating his chart, Patrick came in. "Dr. Rivera" he got her attention.

She gave him the chart. "Officer Falconeri was brought in with a GSW to the abdomen. His vitals are stable. PEP exam shows no sign of internal bleeding" she said to Patrick before turning to Dante.

"Due to conflict of interest, Dr. Drake will be taking over your case" she walked out before he could say anything.

She didn't want to hear it. She can't believe he had the nerve to call her as his doctor. Maybe he got over things, but she didn't. She moved on to bigger things. After rounds, she took a few moments to herself, so she could finish her paperwork.

The change in staff came in as she was updating the board. "Hey Leo, you got anyone overnight?" she asked as he came out of the operating room.

"No, I'm all clear. What about you Patrick?" Julian asked.

Patrick Drake looked over his chart. "Yeah, the only one is Officer Falconeri. I put him in room 680 for a 24-hr observation" he said.

That caused her grief. Great! Now Sonny was going to come in and blame her for Dante. "How'd surgery go?" she asked.

He took her hand and led her to the side, "He's been asking for you since I got in there. The bullet was minor. He'll be fine to be released tomorrow. Tell me what's going on?" he persisted. She led him over to the couches.

"You know how Michael got sentenced to Pentonville?" she started. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with Officer Falconeri?" Patrick asked confused.

She let out a breath and couldn't help but let a few tears fall. "Dante, Officer Falconeri, is my older brother. He came barging into the courtroom with evidence that Michael killed Claudia. He was only trying to protect Carly and Joss. Now my kid brother has to sit in Pentonville because Dante chose his job over his family. He used my brother to get back at my dad" she cried.

"My baby brother has to sit in Pentonville because of Officer Falconeri's stupid obsession!" she sobbed in her hands.

He wrapped his arms around her and let her cry. "I'm sorry" Patrick said.

She smiled at him and wiped her tears, "It's not a big deal. If you need me to cover your cases. I'm the attending on call" she said.

He smiled and hugged her. "Let's go talk to the officer in question" he said.

They stopped in the locker room so she could refresh. Olivia and Lulu were with Dante. "Officer Falconeri, my shift is over, so I will check on you in the morning. If you have any questions or any concerns, feel free to call me or page Dr. Rivera" Patrick said.

Dante stared at her as she updated his chart. Patrick signed his reports before he left the room. "You're on call all night?" Dante asked her as she switched his IV bags. He was dehydrated.

"Yeah, it's better than me being at home, worrying about my baby brother sitting in a prison cell, scared and alone" she said before leaving. She wasn't scared of him and she didn't think his actions were righteous like everyone else.

The night was real quiet. She did her rounds every 2 hours. She tried to get out of Dante's room as fast as possible.

"Lena, the nurse needs you in room 680. We got V-Fib" Epiphany said.

She dropped her charts and ran like a mad woman. She may not have liked him, but she wasn't going to let Patrick's reputation got to hell. Dante was sitting in bed reading a magazine when she came rushing in with all the emergency stuff she could possibly need.

He smiled and put his magazine down. She stood at the doorway with her hands on her hips. She was pissed! You don't call V-Fib to get attention. That was a serious offense! He should know.

"What?" she asked irritated.

"We need to talk" he said making room for her on his bed so she could sit.

She staid right where she was, "You just called V-Fib in a hospital ICU! Are you insane? I could have you arrested for that" she yelled at him.

He let out a laugh, "well it's a good thing I'm a cop" he said.

She glared at him. He kept staring at her. "We need to talk about Michael" he said seriously.

She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head, "we are not going to talk about my baby brother because then I'm going to picture him in a 4x4 cell where he doesn't belong and then I'll be too mad to treat you" she said all at once fighting back the tears.

He nodded, "glad we cleared that up" he said.

She nodded before bolting out of there. It was getting way to uncomfortable. Besides that, awkward moment with Dante, the rest of the night was quiet. Around 5am, she fell asleep in the on-call room. It was a long night.

"Aww, she looks so cute" Patrick teased when he and Leo came in. "Look how adorable she is" Julian joked.

"You two are assholes" she stretched out.

"How was your night?" Patrick asked.

"It was quiet. Dante got on my nerves" she said.

They both laughed, "you just going to lay there?" Patrick asked.

She smiled and nodded, believe it or not, she was very comfortable. "How was Officer Falconeri?" Leo asked.

"He's a pain in my…." she started but stopped when she saw Sonny walk by through the window. She figured he was going to see Dante. She groaned and fell back against the bed. "Oh great!" she could let out a big breath.

"What?" Leo asked.

"My dad just walked by. My guess is that he is going to visit Dante. That means he's going to be paging me to tell him what's going on" she said.

They looked at her like she was crazy, but it's true. She has seen the pattern before. Her dad usually came to make sure the person is alright.

"Dr. Rivera to room 680" they heard overhead.

Both guys just stared at her. She got fixed up before giving both guys a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow night" she said before going to see her dad. Lulu and Olivia were back. They brought Dante breakfast.

"Knock! Knock!" she made her presence known.

"Hey Lena, how was your night?" Sonny greeted her with a hug.

"Hey dad, it was good. We only had one scare" she said smirking.

"What is it?" Lulu asked.

She looked at her and quirked an eyebrow. "If you can talk about it that is" she corrected.

"Oh yeah. This patient faked V-Fib. We all thought his heart stopped, but when I got there, he faked" she informed.

"That's awful" Olivia said.

She smirked at Dante but nodded in agreement with her. "So, how's your brother doing?" Sonny asked his eldest daughter.

"He was fine at night. Dr. Drake will be rounding soon. He can answer your questions. I'm going home" she informed.

"Okay, be careful driving. Take out the pasta today because it will go bad by tomorrow" her dad instructed.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to get a ticket for driving the wrong way. The cops are a little to outspoken now a days. Bye daddy" she gave him a hug.

Just as she was walking out the door, Dante called her back in. She stood outside the doorway impatiently waiting for him to say what he needed to say.

"Thank you for taking care of me" he expressed his gratitude.

She nodded, "it's my job whether I like it or not" she accepted his thanks and signed out.

Before going home, there was one place she needed to stop. As she stood outside the penthouse door, she couldn't help but think of Michael. He was always here. He would hang out, or come for advice all the time.

When the door opened, Spinelli greeted her with a sad smile. "Greetings Angelic One, may I express my condolences on the innocent one's fate" he said referring to Michael.

She gave him a hug. "Thanks Spinelli, is Jason home?" she asked coming in. She couldn't help but think about him since the hearing.

He loved Michael so much. "Yes, Stone Cold is on the terrace" he pointed.

Jason was on the balcony staring out into nowhere. She put her stuff down on the table and stopped at the door leading outside.

"Hey" she called.

He smiled when he saw her. As normal, they greeted each other with a hug. "How are you?" she asked.

He let out a laugh. "You're his sister, shouldn't I be asking you that?" he replied. She avoided the question by walking around the balcony.

"I'm fine. It's part of life. It was pretty easy to avoid until Michael's friend called and most of all when I saw that asshole in the hospital" she informed numbly. She just told herself to block it out.

"I guess now would be a bad time to tell you about the deal I made" he said.

She smiled at him. Carly told her that Jason was doing damage control. She got paranoid, so she ended up telling me. "I already know about the deal you made with Anthony. I have to say; it was a big step" she confessed.

He looked down guilty. Did Carly forget to tell me something? Did she purposefully leave out any details? "Not that deal. This one I made with Dante and Claire" he said.

Knots formed in her stomach. Whatever he was about to tell her wasn't good, she could feel it. "What could you possibly have that the cops want?" she asked regretting it as soon as it came out.

One look at his face and she knew. "Please tell me you didn't" she begged with tears in her eyes. He couldn't even look at her. Jason is the most honest person she knows. He is also very readable; well to her that is.

When he looked away, she knew she thought was true. After grabbing her things, she left in a hurry. She went to the only person to blame. How could he do this? how could he be so selfish? The anger was boiling inside her, waiting to spill out.

The nurses looked at her surprised. She was supposed to be gone for the day. "What are you doing here?" Leo asked when he saw her.

She just ignored him and raced past him. Lulu and Dante were talking with Sonny and Olivia when she came barging in. They all looked at her surprised.

"I thought you were going home. What are you doing here?" her dad asked.

She could see the concern on his face, but at the moment, she was too angry to care. She was only there for one reason. "Why don't you ask your son?" she seethed.

Dante looked down guilty. He knew what I was talking about. "You know?" he asked.

She glared at him. "Of course I know. What did you think that people wouldn't find out when he just disappeared?" she argued.

He shook his head. Lulu, Olivia and Sonny looked between the kids confused. "Someone tell me what's going on?" Sonny interrupted the two siblings.

"Your beloved long lost son thought to add to the misery of everyone. He already ripped Michael form our lives, now he wants Jason to suffer the same fate" she loathed him.

"What?" Olivia started at her son doubtful.

"Jason made a deal with Claire to be locked up with Michael until he got released. It's only temporary" he tried to defend his actions.

"Are you really that stupid?" she emphasized the word stupid.

"The feds have been waiting for their chance at Jason and dad. You just handed them their meal ticket. Do you have any idea how bad it's going to be for him? Do you have the slightest clue as to how many enemies he has in Pentonville? Not to mention what you did to dad. You tore his son away from him, now you want his #1 man. You just left him defenseless to his enemies, not that you care. Congratulations officer, you ruined 3 lives in a matter of weeks! Well done!" she said sobbing before leaving.

She got in her car and went home. Dante had to deal with the consequences of his actions, for once. His hospital room was silent after she left. No one knew what to say. They were still dealing with her outburst.

"I'm sorry" he finally said to Sonny.

Her dad just looked at him. "I have to go check on my daughter and arrange some things" he said before leaving. There was no way he was picking Dante over Lena. He was in a tough spot. He wanted to get to know his son, but Lena is his princess. She's his baby. Nobody can ever change that.

On his way to her apartment, he called Carly. He was going to need her help. She was furious, but she thought about Lena. She met Sonny outside Lena's apartment building.

"What the hell was he thinking Sonny? This is on your son" she said before making her way inside. They got to her apartment and didn't even bother knocking. They just let themselves in.

She was sobbing on the floor in her living room. Carly rushed in and sat down next to her on the floor, wrapping her arms around Lena. "He ruined everything. First he took away my brother and now this" she sobbed.

She just held her and rocked her gently. "I can't lose Jason. I just can't" she cried.

Eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Sonny moved her to the couch and put a blanket over her. His heart was breaking at the site of seeing his daughter like this.

"Carly, can you stay with her. I got to fix this" Sonny said before leaving.

Carly ordered food from the Metro Court and called to make arrangements for the kids. Alexis agreed to watch them for the night. She knew the Corinthos family was reeling and needed some time.

Sonny couldn't believe what he heard, so he went straight to the source. Jason opened the door expectantly. He knew eventually Sonny or Carly would come knocking. Honestly he thought it would be Carly.

"I assume Lena told you" he said.

Sonny nodded, "yeah, she came to yell at Dante in the hospital and I was there so I heard" he informed. Jason was surprised. Sure, he figured she would be mad, but not that mad.

"So what do you have to say about that? You won't change my mind, but you obviously came to say something "Jason explained.

He was stubborn. Once he set his mind to something, nobody could persuade him differently. "Is there something going on between you and my daughter?" Sonny asked.

Jason stared at him a little shocked. "No, we are just friends" he lied. He had loved Lena since they were kids, but Sonny didn't need to know that.

"Okay great. Then tell me why she's so emotional over this. She was sobbing when Carly and I got there" Sonny informed.

He always knew there was something special between Lena and Jason. He only wanted his daughter to be happy. "Sonny she just lost her brother. Not to mention having to treat Dante after he sent her baby brother to prison. That has to influence her" Jason tried to explain.

Sonny didn't know who his friend was trying to convince. "Jason you know she's going to try and talk you out of this right?" Sonny questioned.

Jason smiled and nodded. Both men knew it isn't in her nature to give up on things. Jason maybe stubborn, but he hasn't seen nothing yet!

The next morning, she woke up with the biggest headache. It felt like someone was hammering her head. She sat up on the couch and groaned. Kristina poked her head to see if she was awake.

"Morning Sis, I brought you some aspirin, coffee and a muffin" she said handing them to her in order.

After sipping some coffee, she could function. She needed some caffeine. "How was your night?" she asked worried.

"It was fine. The big news around school is Michael so that's a pain" she admitted.

"Speaking of school, shouldn't you be there?" she asked getting up.

They filled each other on some things as Lena got dressed. Apparently, some of the parents had concerns about recent events so the teachers and principal delayed school to address their concerns. Her siblings didn't want to show up in their dad's limo with Max or Milo, so they came to Lena for transportation.

After a quick breakfast, and quick was the operative word, she drove them to school. "Call me if you have any problems today" she said before they got out of the car.

"We will, bye Lena" they waved before getting out of the car and walking up the entryway and into the school.

It has been 2 days since Michael was in prison and Lena was crazy busy at work. She had a lot to do to keep her occupied. Her first stop was to meet Jason. She had to convince him not to take the deal with Claire. If by any chance of God, she couldn't change his mind, there was always plan B.

She doesn't want her family in harm's way. She was going to make sure they are protected. Jason was waiting for her at the docks.

"Hey" she greeted as she came down the stairs.

He turned and smiled at her. She couldn't place it, but there was something different about him. "Hey yourself. Lena, I know why you wanted to meet me" he said digging his hands in his pockets.

"Great, so we can cut right to the chase" she took a seat on the bench.

He came to sit next to her and explain what he was thinking. "I have to go protect Michael" he said truly concerned.

"Jason, I know how much you love Michael. I was there, do you remember? I saw it firsthand. You love him more than anything and so does he. Michael wouldn't want you to do this" she reasoned.

That was her strongest tactic. Use his own words against him. "We have a lot of enemies in Pentonville. Zacharra won't be able to keep everyone away for long" he tried to explain.

"Exactly, who is going to watch your back? You just said yourself that you and dad have a lot of enemies in Pentonville. Who's going to look out for you?" she was angry and frustrated.

"I can look out for myself" he gave her his standard excuse for everything. That was it. Lena couldn't take it anymore. She blew up. "What about Morgan, Carly, Joslynn, my dad? Who's going to keep them out of harm's way? Who's going to always be there for me?" she asked forcing the tears away.

"Max and Milo will be here. Besides, we have other guards" he said.

"That's not enough" she yelled at him through tears.

"That's not enough and you know it. You need to stop being selfish and think about everyone that loves you and counts on you" she repeated before leaving.

It was hard to walk away from Jason and go straight to work, but she had to do it. She needed to get her mind off things. She walked into the hospital and sat in her office doing charts and going over charts from the night before. She needed to catch up since she missed going on rounds.

This was a good hospital day for her. Her patients were on the mend and feeling better. They had all heard of what happened to brother and expressed their deep condolences. It felt nice to be normal and go about her day again.

She was free by 6pm, so she called it a day. It was time to head home. Steve had hired a new surgeon, so she didn't have to carry the load on her own anymore. It gave her some free time to live her life.

After signing out, it was time to initiate plan B. She went to the one person who could guarantee peace when Jason was gone. "It's been a while since you dropped by" he smirked letting her in.

There was no time for monkey business. She was here on a mission. "Yeah well I've been busy" she said as she put her stuff down and turned to look at him, her arms crossed against her chest.

"What can I do for you?" he asked. He knew by the look on her face that this wasn't a social call.

"Look Johnny, I need to talk to you. I know that you know about the deal made between Jason and your dad. I also know that you know that Jason is going away to protect Michael. I need you to be okay with that. I need to be able to go on without worrying that you are going to go after my dad because Jason isn't here to protect him. My family has been through enough, but I also know that you knew the truth about Michael, so I want to thank you for keeping quiet and protecting him" she got her point across.

He nodded and crossed his arms across his chest, "you're welcome. I'm just sorry things ended up the way they did" he replied actually sincere.

Anyone who knew Johnny well knew his whole tough guy persona was just an act. If you knew him as well as she did, you would know he hates pretending.

"That's actually why I am here" she said repeating her point. She didn't want to get off track. She needed to make sure that he knew she was serious.

Johnny let out a breath and nodded, knowing that she wanted to get serious, "I know about all the deals Lena. I know everything that's going on. What I am trying to figure out is what that has to do with you?" he asked.

Johnny maybe a Zacharra, her father's biggest enemy, but everyone knew that he had a soft spot for the Corinthos kids, especially Lena.

"Come on Johnny, don't play stupid. We both know that this would be the best opportunity for you to go after my dad. I need to know that you won't attack my family again. I need to know that we are going to be safe from you. My brother and sister have been through enough. I can't go on thinking that you are going to come after my family" she said.

He thought it all over, "so you want a truce?" he reasoned.

She nodded, "yes, I want a truce" she stated.

"In exchange for what?" he asked.

"You get peace and a peace of mind" she replied.

She trusted Johnny to see the reason behind the situation. They have history and they knew each other well enough not to start something. He walked up to her face to face.

"Okay, I'll call a truce with Sonny, on one condition" he agreed.

"I am not sleeping with you" she cut him off before he could even ask.

He laughed, "that's not what I am talking about. Olivia invited me to her birthday party with her family. I want you to come with me" he said smiling at her surprised look.

"You want me to come with you to a party for your ex-girlfriend, who is the mother of my older brother, who just sent my little brother to prison? Are you crazy?" she asked honestly surprised.

He laughed a little, "yeah, I want you to come with me, so what do you say?" he asked. He knew what he was doing. Asking for a truce was a big deal, her dealing with Dante was a big deal.

"Okay, but I need something from you in return" she agreed with a little twist in their game.

He looked at her curious, she was already asking a lot from him. "What could you possibly want from me?" he asked.

"I need you to keep Sam occupied for a few hours tonight" she stated.

He smirked because he knew what she was planning to do. Everyone knew that her and Jason were close and had a tight relationship.

If Jason was really going to leave, this needed to happen now. "You got it" he agreed.

That made her happy. She would finally get to spend some time with Jason. After finalizing the details with Johnny, she went to work.

"Hey guys, how are you today?" she greeted Patrick and Leo when she walked off the elevator. They were gathered around the nurse's station.

"Someone looks happy" Leo stated.

"Yeah, who is he?" Patrick asked.

She glared at them both, "yes, actually I'm very happy and it's not because of a man. What is wrong with you two?" she asked.

They were usually more cheerful than this. Patrick let out a laugh, "You haven't met the new attending yet, have you?" he asked.

She gave him a curious look. Why would that affect her day? "No, why?" she asked curious. Is the new doctor really that bad?

"I swear if he looks at me like that again…." This nurse said to herself as she stormed by.

"Lena, please come back to night shift" Nadine begged as she came up to the desk.

"Is the new attending really that bad?" Lena asked the nurse.

She let out a huff, "you have no idea!" she replied.

GEEZ! Who was this guy? Why is he pissing off all the nurses? "Dr. Drake, do you know where I can find Dr. Rivera?" this guy asked Patrick.

"I'm Dr. Rivera" she spoke to get his attention. He looked up at her and smiled. "Hi, I'm Dr. Taylor" he introduced himself.

She shook his hand and smiled back, "Hi, what can I do for you?" she asked politely.

Her friends were clearly mistaken. This guy was very nice and really easy on the eyes. "You can convince your patient that surgery is the best option to remove his tumor" he was very to the point as she took the chart and looked over it.

After reading the results, she looked up at him confused. "Why would you need to operate if the drug protocol is working?" she asked as nice and calm as possible.

He really needed to work on his manners. "Because the drug protocol is not going to destroy the tumor. He needs it taken out" he argued.

Now she was getting mad. "The drug protocol is shrinking the tumor. This poor kid has been on the protocol for month. The tumor went from being the size of a golf ball to the size of a quarter. My protocol is the one that made it operable in the first place. He only has a week of treatments left" she explained trying to keep my temper in check.

"He needs surgery now. I can get the whole tumor. It's small enough" he persisted. By that point she was fuming. Who the hell did this guy think he is?

"Get this in your head. You are not operating on my patient without my signoff" she said slowly so he could understand she meant business.

"Yes I am. I'll just go talk to the parents myself" he smirked thinking he won.

She just smirked right back at him, "you come near my patient or his family and you'll have me to mess with" she was dead serious.

"Is that a threat?" he asked.

"No, it's a promise" she said before leaving to go on rounds.

Lena made sure to spend a little extra time in the patient's room when she passed it. The patient that they were fighting over was a 17-year-old boy with a brain tumor. She's been his doctor since he was a kid. He had his friends with him today.

"Hi Cody, how are you feeling today?" she asked putting some gloves on and looking over the notes from the night before.

"Hey Dr. C, I feel better today" he replied smiling.

This kid was the sweetest patient she ever had. His friends were drooling over her as she gave Cody an exam. "You have a lot more company today" she said.

"Yeah, my friends stopped by. This is Kyle, Matt, Chris and Brett" he introduced.

Being around his friends made him feel happy. It also made him feel better, she could tell. "Hi boys" she greeted.

They all waved awkwardly. His parents came in as she was finishing up. "Dr. Rivera, how is he doing?" his mom asked worried.

"Don't worry Mrs. Gage, he's doing great. His CT scans show a great deal of improvement. The tumor is now down to a size of a quarter. I am happy to say that this will be your last treatment" she informed.

His friends cheered and congratulated him. They were really happy for him.

"Thank you so much" his mom hugged her.

"You're welcome. I will be back tomorrow to check on him" she said leaving them to their good news. One of his friends followed her out.

"Hey Doc," he called.

Lena turned back to face him. She could tell he was worried about something. "Hey, I'm Chris, one of Cody's friends" he introduced himself.

"I remember. What can I do for you?" she asked.

He dug his hands in his pockets before answering. "Cody is my best friend. When he was admitted, we were all freaked out. He went through a lot and we were all really worried about him" he informed.

"Yes, he's been through a lot but he's getting better" she tried to reassure him.

"Yeah, but what happens now? I've known Cody since we were babies. You tell him he's all better, he jumps back into normal life" Lena smiled at the boys concern for his friend.

"Okay, how about this. When I come in tomorrow, I will give Cody a list of do's and do nots" she said trying to reassure the boy.

It had been a particularly slow day for Lena. She only had 3 surgeries to do and they were very successful. All day the only thing she could think of was her night with Jason.

It was going to be really magical. "Hey Lena" Johnny greeted her as he got off the elevator and walked up to the desk.

All her colleagues looked at the couple shocked, "Hi Johnny. What can I do for you?" she was curious as to why he wasn't with Sam.

"Can we talk in private?" Lena led him to her office worried.

When someone in her family told her that, it usually meant something bad was going to happen. "What's wrong?" she asked once they were done.

"Jason's going tonight. The Fed's want him ASAP. Spinelli told me that they came and took him in. He is trying to stall Dante and Claire until you get there" he said leading her out.

There was no way she would be able to drive, so Johnny gave her a ride. They made it literally as Jason was being escorted out of the interrogation room.

"WAIT!" she called out.

Everyone in the police department, turned to watch the beautiful scene. Lena ran right up to Jason. Lucky stepped back and let her have her moment.

She gripped Jason's shirt and looked up at him, "There are so many things I want to say right now, but I can't form the words" she began to cry.

He rested his forehead against hers and wiped her tears. "Jason, you are the love of my life. I will always love you. Please, just be safe and come back to me" she kissed him.

"I love you to, more than anything" he gave her another quick kiss before Lucky escorted him out.

She stood there and watched as Lucky escorted him out. Once he was out of sight, she literally collapsed in the middle of the ball-pen and started sobbing.

Johnny got down behind her and helped her up. That was the second worst moment in her life, the first being when her brother was taken away to prison.

Dante only made it worse than it already was. Once she saw him come out of the interrogation room, she snapped. She lunged at him, but Johnny held her back.

"You sick bastard. It wasn't enough to take my brother you had to add on to my pain by sending away the only person who has ever been there for me. You are one hell of a brother" she yelled at him before storming off.

Johnny drove her back to her apartment. The whole way both were silent. Lena felt horrible and Johnny didn't know what to say. "I'm so sorry Lena. If you want to bail out tomorrow, I understand" he said as we stopped in front of my door.

"Johnny you have nothing to be sorry for. I actually want to thank you for giving me those last couple minutes with Jason" she smiled at him.

He kissed her cheek and nodded. Before he took the elevator down, he turned back to make sure she was okay. "Don't worry, I'll be ready by 8pm tomorrow for the party" she called smiling at him.

It would be fun showing up. Dante certainly wouldn't be expecting her. It would be a way to get back at him.

The only she got any sleep that night was through exhaustion. She doesn't even remember falling asleep, but she woke up the next day with red and puffy eyes. She called the hospital and made an appointment to see Patrick. Maybe he could give her something to help her.

She walked in with her normal clothes, badge and sat in the waiting room, waiting for Patrick. "Hey Lena, are you okay?" he asked as he came out of the exam room and up to the desk. He didn't know that she called to schedule the appointment.

"Yeah, I just needed to see you" she replied.

"Come on back" he said.

She took one look around and saw all their patients. "I'll wait" she said. She didn't want to be given preferential treatment.

He smiled and nodded. After clearing the waiting room, he took me back. "Patrick, they took Jason to prison. He went to protect Michael. I lost my brother and the love of my life all at the same time" she cried in his arms as she sat on the exam table.

"Hey, you are going to be okay. I promise you that I'll be there for you and you'll make it through this just fine" he comforted her.

"I hope so because right now, I am a mess. I can't sleep, I can't work, I can't focus on anything, I am in such a mess" she vented.

He nodded, "let me give you something to help you sleep and we'll go get some lunch" he said not wanting her to be alone.

"Thanks for lunch and the ear" she gave him a hug.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, thanks. I have a party to get ready for" she teased.

It was getting pretty chilly, so she wore tight jeans, a black tank and a black sweater. She curled her hair and wore her black, knee-high boots.

"Lena" he called as he let himself into her apartment.

"I'm coming" she replied as she walked down the stairs. She was running late. She didn't know that he wanted to actually be on time for the party. She figured that he would want to be a little late concerning this was his ex-girlfriend.

"Hey, what do you think?" she asked spinning around. She wanted to look somewhat normal.

"You look gorgeous. You going to kill Dante tonight?" he asked.

She let out a laugh, "Don't tempt me" she replied.

He nodded and they left. He knew that she would need to tread lightly around Dante. Emotions were still raw with Jason being taken away.

When they walked in, Lena could tell that the party was a bore, but the look on Dante's face when she walked in was priceless.

"Happy Birthday Olivia" Lena greeted.

"Thank you and thank you for coming. Please help yourself to some food" she said.

She nodded and wrapped her arm around Johnny. He was the only thing keeping her from killing Dante. It had only been a week and things were still pretty raw.

Lena tried to avoid him as much as possible, talking with Steve and the guys from the hospital that were there.

Dante clearly didn't get the message. He was staring at her all night. He couldn't keep his eyes off of her. He was waiting for her to blow up.

"He's waiting for you to explode" Johnny whispered in her ear.

She glanced up at him smiling. "Yeah, I know. I also know that you are trying to make Olivia jealous. She hasn't stopped looking at us all night" she said.

He smiled, "maybe" he replied.

Lena glanced between the two and laughed. "You know that would never work" Lena teased.

"Why not?" he replied.

"Because she is the mother of my father's son and you are a Zacharra" she explained.

He quirked an eyebrow at her rambling. "I don't know, I think if I really wanted to get to Sonny, I would go after you, not Olivia" he stated.

Before she could come up with a comeback, someone came up to them. "Dr. Rivera, I'm sorry to hear about your brother. 5 years is a long time" she stated.

Her eyes met Dante's before she could answer. "Thank you, we are dealing with it" Lena replied with as much grace as possible.

"Well, that's great. I heard your eldest brother gave him up. That's horrible" the woman pressed on.

She couldn't really believe the nerve of the woman. She looked up at Johnny for some help. The woman was making her extremely uncomfortable.

"It's a tough time for their family, it would be easier if you backed off" Johnny stepped in.

"And you trying to start wars with her father. You should not be with her right now. Let this young woman be" the woman argued with them.

"Excuse me, please I can't do this. Please just leave me alone. I am trying to enjoy my family party" Lena said.

"You are not that desperate are you. You are a Corinthos, act like it. Your brother just got sent to prison. Step up and be with your family. Not running around like a slut" the woman yelled at her.

"Hey" Johnny pulled her into his chest.

"Hey, don't talk to my sister like that. She is the strongest person I know, not only as a doctor or my sister, but as a Corinthos" Dante stepped up and defended his little sister. He tried to stay out of the conversation long enough, but he couldn't take it anymore.

The lady scoffed and walked away. Dante walked up to his sister and turned her to face him, "hey" he cupped her face and wiped her tears.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She pulled away, "yeah I am fine" she replied.

Johnny left to give her a minute with her family. "Hey honey, are you alright?" Olivia asked.

Lena felt guilty. She didn't mean to cause a scene at her party. "Olivia I'm sorry. I didn't mean to cause a scene and ruin your party" Lena apologized.

"No, please don't apologize. It's okay. It's not your fault. I'm sorry for the gall of her, she's just a nosy neighbor" she informed her.

Lena nodded, "thanks" she said.

"Hey Lena, I have to go. Do you want to come or do you want to stay?" he asked.

"I'll stay for a little while longer, thanks for bringing me" she kissed his cheek before he left.

Olivia watched the interaction before Johnny left. She was watching them like a hawk. "So, are you and Johnny together?" she asked Lena.

Lena smiled at her, her suspicions right on the money. "No, we are just friends. Johnny is like a brother to me" Lena said hopeful.

When it came time to call it a night, Lena decided to walk home. It wasn't that far and she needed the air. She needed time to think and get her bearings. She stopped on the docks. It was the one place in all of town that she could go to think.

"Party over?" someone asked from behind her.

She turned around ready to be on the defense when she saw her dad. "How'd you know about the party?" she asked.

"Carly told me. You okay kiddo?" he asked leading her to the benches.

"Yeah, I guess. I just miss Jason" she admitted.

"I heard about your declaration of love for each other" he said.

She looked at him cautiously, waiting for his reaction. "and" she prompted.

"Does he make you happy?" Sonny asked his daughter.

The way her face brightened up, he already knew the answer. "Very happy. Jason is and always will be my guy" she replied.

Sonny smiled and wrapped an arm around his daughter as he leaned back into the bench and pulled her into his chest, "than you have my blessing. I want you to be happy" he said.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

1 year later….

The year flew by fast. She was so busy with work and family she didn't even notice. Lena and Dante were finally on okay terms. Things were good.

Diane, Claire and Dante pulled a few strings and got Michael released early. The whole family was excited. He got back to being a normal kid. It was hard for him to readjust to normal life. It took him some time, but it brought their family back together again. Unfortunately, like expected, they didn't let Jason go so easily.

Lena was at the hospital, working at the desk when she got an unexpected visitor. "Hi, I am looking for Dr. Rivera, can you page her please?" he asked.

Lena looked at the man curious. "Hi, I am Dr. Rivera, how can I help you?" she asked trying to figure out if she knew him or where she knew him from.

"Hi, I'm Ben. You're Jason Morgan's Lena Rivera right?" he asked.

She nodded sheepishly, "yes I am" she replied still confused.

"Jason talked about you a lot in prison. I was in the cell next to his and Michaels. Jason saved my life on multiple accounts. He doesn't know I am here, but I wanted to repay the favor somehow, so I am here to help you see Jason" he said.

"I'm sorry but what are you talking about? I can't see Jason in prison?" she doubted him.

Ben smiled, "oh yes you can, if you would just follow me to the police station, your brother Dante has pulled a few strings" he said.

This was just a hoax, she thought to herself. There was no way this could happen. How did this guy even find her? What was he talking about?

Dante met them at Jason's apartment. Spinelli was already there working on everything. He was more than excited to be able to help her out. He loved Lena.

Dante was able to work out a visit with the prison for Jason and his wife. Spinelli was able to get Jason and Brenda's old marriage license and alter it so it had Lena's picture and information instead of Brenda's.

Ben gave her the run down on how things would go once she went for the visit. Dante drove her to the visit. He wanted to be there for her.

He walked her into the prison and waited while she signed in and got her pass. "I'll be waiting for you right here" he said.

She nodded, "thanks" she said before taking a breath and nodding to the guard indicating to the guard that she was ready.

He opened the door for her and let her in the room. It was a small room with a single bed and concrete walls.

When she heard the door open, she got butterflies in her stomach. "Have fun" the guard told Jason as he pushed him in the room.

Jason just stared at her. She could feel his gaze burning holes into her back. She turned around smiling at the look of relief on his face. He thought it was Brenda waiting for him when the guard told him that he had his wife waiting for him.

"Is that anyway to greet your wife?" she teased, smiling at him.

He let out a laugh and walked up to her, pulling her to him in a hug and holding her for dear life. He couldn't believe she was there, let alone in his arms.

"I missed you so much" he said pulling away and cupping her face. He need to touch her, to really know that she was there.

"Me too" she breathed him in, nuzzling his neck.

Lena stood with her back to Jason's front. He grazed her neck and moved some hair off her shoulder. He undid the zipper on her dress and purposefully brushed his fingertips along her spine. He leant down and brushed his lips against her bare shoulder.

She closed her eyes and tilted her head back with a smile on her face. Once her dress was fully off, she turned around and smirked at the look on his face. "Jesus Lena" was the only thing he could get out.

Jason couldn't believe was he was seeing. There she was. The woman of his dreams, standing there in nothing but a black lace bra and panties; she was stunning.

"Do you like it? I just bought it a couple days ago" she said a little self-conscious. She never did anything like this before.

"Are you kidding? You look beautiful" he kissed her again as she worked on untying his pants. She pulled his pants down as he pulled his shirt off.

Once his shirt was off, Lena leant forward and laid kisses on his chest. He smiled and pulled her up. Delved his tongue into her awaiting mouth. She moaned and wrapped her arms around his neck and ran her fingers through his hair.

Jason walked forward until Lena's knees hit the bed. She slowly laid back and pulled Jason on top of her. She caressed his cheeks, "I love you" she said. He smiled down at her, "right back at ya' babe" he teased.

"You have to tell me if there's something you don't want me to do" he added serious. She smiled and nodded, "I want this Jason" she reassured.

He nodded and pressed a feather kiss to her lips before deepening the kiss. He pulled away and started to nuzzle her neck. He kissed down her neck and stopped at her pulse point. She arched off the bed as he started sucking on her pulse point.

After leaving a reasonable mark on her, he pulled away with a smile. He trailed his lips down her body, starting at her chest.

He reached around her back and unclasped her bra and pulled it off her body. He moved his mouth over her right breast as Lena threw her head back against the pillow and arched off the bed. Jason smirked and took her nipple into his mouth. She moaned and continued to arch off the bed.

"Jason" she moaned.

He left her chest and moved down the rest of her body. Lena opened her legs wider and let him step in between them.

He knelt down so he could kiss his way down her stomach to her belly button, dipping his tongue inside, loving the way she was responding to his kisses.

She closed her eyes as she felt him work his way up her inner thigh. "Jason" she groaned with urgency. Jason grinned and knelt between her legs. Jason couldn't hold out his control anymore. He thrust his tongue into her, with her arching off the bed, moaning in pleasure.

She clutched at the bedsheets, trying to stay still. If she arched her back anymore, she was sure she would crack in half. Jason started to increase the pace and started nibbling on her bud. He inserted one finger in her and stroked as he licked and nibbled. Jason increased the pace of his fingers and added another.

"JASON!" Lena screamed as she came hard against his mouth.

Jason kissed his way back up to her mouth, holding her as she came down from her high. Lena smiled up at him, "wow" she breathed out.

"You're welcome" he replied as he continued to kiss her. He dug his hands into her hair, "are you ready?" he asked. She nodded, "I'm ready Jason. I've been ready since I came back to New York" she replied.

He nodded and slid into her, stopping so she could get used to him. "Are you okay?" he asked. She winced a little but nodded, "yeah, just go slow okay. I'm still a little tight" she replied. He nodded and slowly slid out of her before pushing back in. She moaned and sighed, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Jason, please…" she begged.

Jason didn't need any more encouragement. He knew he wasn't going to last long regardless of what speed they went. He was ready for her as soon as he saw her walk downstairs before the ball. Lena rotated her hips and arched up so she could meet his thrusts, "God Lena" he hissed as her hips found a rhythmic rotation that was rubbing in just the right way.

"Jason…I…please…" she couldn't form a complete sentence. The speed of her hips and the sensation between them was becoming more pleasurable with every moment. It was becoming too much for her to handle. Her whole body was on fire. She felt like every nerve ending in her body was firing on all cylinders.

"It's okay. Let go Lena" was all she needed to finally push her over the edge as she came with him, both groaning each other's names as they finally let go and let their pleasure overwhelm them, her body completely spent. It was one of the most pleasurable things she's ever experienced in her life.

Jason collapsed on top of her. "Thank you" she smiled at him and cupped his face. She loved feeling him on top of her. It felt right for him to be there with her. "You're welcome" she replied as she caressed his cheeks and jawline.

"Are you okay?" he asked. He didn't want to hurt her.

"I'm better than okay. I just made love to the man of my dreams" she replied.

He rolled off her and pulled her into his chest. "How about you, are you okay?" she wondered. "Never better" he smirked, "thank you for letting me back into your life. I want you to know that I am always going to be there for you. I am always going to protect you. I promise you that I am going to be there for you always" he said.

Lena turned so she could face him. "I know Jason. Look, we both messed up last time okay, but we've moved on. We are different people. We were young and stupid. We grew up. Besides, we have our family on our side this time" she had the biggest grin on her face.

Jason loved to see her happy. "On that note, there is something that I wanted to ask you to make it official?" he said completely serious.

She looked worried and looked at him curious. He pulled away and cupped her face to kiss her, "I am sorry that I don't have anything to do this properly, but I want to ask you to marry me. We have loved each other for a long time. I know that we just really got together again, but I have loved you since I was a kid" he said.

She smiled at him, "Of course I'll marry you. Jason, my answer is always going to be yes. I know that things were different since I've been back, but we love each other and have for a long time. Don't worry, we are going to do better this time" she reassured.

::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It was a couple of months later when Lena started feeling sick and stressed again. She was missing Jason and it was showing. She was losing weight, pale and tired all the time.

Robin and Patrick and her family were worried about her. Finally, she went to get checked out.

The waiting room was full of people. She felt bad about cutting people in line. She didn't want any special treatment.

"Hey Lena, are you okay?" Patrick saw her sitting in the waiting room in the clinic. He was bringing a patient chart to talk about when he saw her in the waiting room.

"Hey Patrick, yeah I am fine. I just wanted to get checked out" she explained.

"Finally, you take our advice. Come on, let's get you checked out" he said.

"No, Patrick, there are a lot of other people in front of me" she didn't want any preferential treatment.

"It took you months to get checked out. I am free and I am going to check you out. Don't worry, you are not going to be cutting in front of anyone. Come on" he grabbed her hand and led her into an exam room.

They got into the room and Lena jumped on the exam table. "Okay, so I know about Dante and the whole Michael/Jason situation. Now I want to know what's going on with you. How are you really feeling?" he asked.

Lena let out a breath, "I have no idea. I am freaking out. I am vomiting, have no appetite, tired all the time, crabby and getting real bad stomach pains" she explained.

"Okay, let's start with some blood work and then we'll go from there. Lucky for you today I am going to treat you to lunch" he stated.

Patrick called in Epiphany to draw some blood. He just wanted to check some basic labs, to make sure everything was working the way it should. He knew that Lena has been under a lot of stress and that can hurt you more than it can help you.

As promised, he took her to lunch, where they met Robin and she was able to get her mind off her own problems for a little while. It was nice to talk about something other than her family problems.

By the end of the day, Patrick had the test results back for Lena. He called her back into the office to give her the news. It was big news. It took her some time to process everything.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

It took her a couple of months to get used to the idea. She told her family and they were there for her. They were excited for her.

Lena was at work when it happened. Something she never expected since she got the news. She was standing at the desk updating a chart when she started to feel weak and dizzy. Lucky for her Patrick was behind her when she started to fall. She gripped the edge of the desk as she slid down and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Hey, are you okay?" Patrick asked.

"Yeah I am just feeling a little dizzy" she replied.

Patrick helped her over to the couches. "Okay, just take a seat" he checked her pulse and her temperature. She just waved him off, "will you stop, I am fine" she said.

"No, I think we should keep you in the hospital at least overnight for observation and some fluids" he suggested.

Carly was coming into the hospital to check on Lena when she saw her sitting with Patrick. She saw Lena laying back on the couch, Patrick checking her over. She walked over right away.

"What's going on? Are you okay Lena?" she asked taking a seat next to her friend. "Carly I am fine, Patrick is just overreacting" she replied.

"No I am not. You are pale, dehydrated, and fainted in front of me. We need to keep you overnight for observation" he said.

"I'll call your father and the family. Patrick, you do what needs to be done. She is staying" Carly made the executive decision.

"Great, I'll get you set up" he said as he led her to a room and got her situated on the monitors. The first thing they did was set her up with an IV. Patrick was right when he said that she was dehydrated.

The whole family showed up to see her and keep her company while she was in the hospital. Her dad stayed with her the night. She was scared and nervous when she got there.

Dante had been planning a surprise for his sister. He didn't know she was in the hospital when he stood outside and met the prison van. The door slid open to show Jason Morgan.

"Jason Morgan, you are free to go" he said as he uncuffed him and handed him the bag of clothes Spinelli brought for him.

"You can change inside. Spinelli is waiting for you" he led him in the station.

Spinelli was overjoyed to see his friend. He was excited to have him back. There was also something he needed to tell him.

"Stone Cold, I am glad you are free and able to pursue your path of love with the Angelic one" he said.

Jason couldn't help but smile, "good to see you too Spinelli. What's going on?" he asked.

"The Angelic One is in the hospital. We have some news. She is pregnant but she is dehydrated and really pale. I have been keeping an eye on her and helping her when I can. We need to get to the hospital as soon as we can" he said.

At the hospital

Sonny sat next to his daughter, sleeping on the bed, caressing her hair. "I know I don't talk about this much, but your mother would be so proud of you. You have beat the odds. I know being my daughter wasn't easy for you growing up but you beat the odds. You became a doctor, you met someone you loved and you held onto them. Now you are having a baby. Your mother would be so happy for you. She loves you. I know that she is looking down on you and watching over you" he said.

Jason stood in the doorway listening to Sonny talk to his daughter. He didn't want to interrupt. When he was done, he knocked on the side of the door. Sonny turned and smiled at him, "Jason, you're out" he said.

"Yeah, Dante worked some deal with Claire. Spinelli told me about Lena and the baby" he said.

Sonny smiled, "yeah, she's really excited. She'll be even more excited when she sees you here" he replied getting up leaving them to visit on their own.

Jason took Sonny's seat and squeezed Lena's hand, caressing her hair. Lena woke up to see Jason sitting at her bedside and smiled. "You're really here right? I'm not dreaming?" she asked.

He smiled at her and leaned down to kiss her forehead, "I'm here, I promise I am never going to leave you again" he vowed.

And that's how things stayed with Jason and Lena until she got out of the hospital. She was treated like a princess. Jason didn't let her do anything. They eventually got her moved into his penthouse. Before she had the babies, she wanted to be married.

They held a small ceremony at the Queens of Angels church with just family and friends. They had a reception at Mikes. It was nice and elegant.

When it came time for Lena to have the baby, Jason was with her every step of the way. Her family littered the lobby waiting for the baby to be born.

It took 3 hours for the little princess to be born. Jason couldn't believe it. He had a daughter. He literally just sat there and stared at her. He finally had everything he dreamed of. He had a wife and a daughter. He had a family.