CHAPTER ONE

The city limit sign showed up in her line of sight before she even knew it it almost seemed like. The caramel blonde with full pouty lips curled around a cigarette raked her hands slowly through her hair and sighed quietly. This particular day in her life had been a long time coming, and she didn't know if she was scared, nervous, excited or a combination of all 3 at the moment.

'You've always wanted to know who he was, if he had any family to take care of him.. You found out your answer.. And you know he's basically alone in the world. You have to do this, if not for just you, for your saw the newspaper articles about his life.' she thought to herself as immediately the more rational parts of her mind reminded her, 'He's a fucking killer though. He's not just an artist, Gabby, he's a murderer. Do you really wanna expose your own kid to that?'

She'd been having this mental debate for the last almost 3,000 miles it seemed, it was starting to get a little more than exhausting. She thought about her last conversation with her mother instead, wondered why her mother hadn't just told her all this to begin with, what her reason for hiding it had been.

She'd just passed the city limit sign when she realized that if she wanted to, it was a little too late to turn around her car, drive away. Sense of longing and hopes for the father she'd always wanted drove her forward, she just wanted to be around her father for a while, get to know him.. The newspaper articles she'd dug up about the man did seem to suggest that the doctors thought his brain tumor were what caused him to become insane for that period of time, go around murdering people.

'There is bad in this world, Gabby. And if you confront him, you might want to prepare yourself because there's a big chance that he's going to completely and totally reject you, or worse.' the caramel blonde thought to herself as she parked her convertible in front of a small retro diner, got out, stretched her arms and legs.

She gasped when she happened to look in the window of the coffee shop next door, catch sight of someone she never thought she'd see again.

"What the fuck is Morgan doing here?" she muttered to herself as she felt the fear mounting. She'd told herself when he just vanished after they spent a few nights together, she was hiding him from some pretty nasty people he'd gotten mixed up in.. Well, when she found out she was pregnant, and she read the newspaper article by accident online, about his being engaged to marry..

She'd sworn that was the absolute end of it. It hadn't taken a genius to figure out that he'd been using their 3 year friendship to his own end, that she meant absolutely nothing to him.

So she'd written him off, sworn she'd raise their kid on her own, love it and hope to hell she didn't just totally screw up it's life in the process.

After all, her own mother hadn't been the picture perfect symbol of motherhood, she'd had a few addictions, mostly men, painkillers and alcohol and she'd liked those just a little more than she loved Gabriella.

"Fuck. Shit. Now what the hell do I do? I mean I've got a little boy with a head full of dark hair and the same eye color as his.. It won't take much calculation for him to figure out..." she muttered as she shrugged it off and reminded herself quickly, "He walked away from you. And he hasn't bothered to check on you since. It's really not his problem now, is it?Besides, he pretty much told you that all you were to him was a friend and he didn't love you like you deserved.." before going around and getting her son out of his car seat.

"Let's get this over with, little guy." she muttered as she kissed the top of her son's head, walked calmly into the diner next door to that coffee shop she'd just seen Morgan standing in the window of.

She'd do what she came to do, at least meet her real father, Franco, and then she'd bail and leave town before she saw Morgan hopefully.

Little did she realize just how wrong she was about to be proven on that little theory..

Morgan coughed as he saw a Mitsubishi convertible park in front of Kelly's Diner. "It's not her. She'd never find me, and by now, everyone back there has probably forgotten all about me. Especially her." he muttered to himself, almost brushing it off.

Almost.

Then she'd gotten out of her car, and went around to the passenger side, pulled out a sleeping baby. He'd started to run out the door, yell her name, just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him for the millionth time since he realized what a mistake he'd made when he walked away from her not so long ago without an explanation or anything.. But his father walked over and asked casually, "Are you okay, Morgan?"

"I'm fine.. I just thought I saw someone I used to know.." Morgan muttered, getting back to work, eyes darting around the coffee shop as he thought about just how deep he'd gotten himself in this time, and reminding himself that if it were Gabriella he'd seen just now, she was probably better off without him.. Because this playing double agent crap he was doing to keep his own father safe, prove just how good of an asset he could actually be to his father was probably more than enough to get himself killed and the last thing he needed to do was drag anyone else into this mess...

Especially a girl he'd had to walk away from to realize that he'd loved all along.

"You zoned out again, kid.. Are you sure you're okay?" Sonny asked as Morgan sighed and said calmly, "Yes dad, I'm fine. Just thinking."

When she walked back out of the diner, he knew for sure, it was her. And he wondered why she was even here, in Port Charles.. Had she actually come looking for him? Because lately, he'd actually been trying to find her, but when he called her old number, it'd been disconnected and every letter he'd sent came back return to sender.

And now, apparently, here she was. In his hometown, with a baby.

Gabriella stood in front of her father's hotel room door, pacing back and forth, her hand in her thick caramel blonde hair as she eyed the door intently. If she did this, there was absolutely no turning back. She raised her hand to knock and the door was flung open by an angry looking older woman who looked at her a moment, gave a smug smirk as she said "If you're here to see my son, I should probably tell you, he's not in a very good mood.. Apparently, me almost killing his latest ex girlfriend's made him a bit grumpy today. Aren't you a little young to be an artist groupie?"

Gabriella glared at the woman and said quietly, calmly, "I'm here to see him for other reasons. I'm noone's groupie, lady. If you'll kindly excuse me." with a stiffened posture as she shielded her son, keeping him hidden away from the woman.. Something about her just looked off and Gabriella found herself for a split second thinking 'And apparently your grandmother's nuttier than a fruitcake, if this woman actually is your father's mother... Are we still sure this is a good idea, Gabby?' and very nearly bolting for the elevator.

Heather eyed the blonde and then asked calmly, "What's your business with my son?" as she studied the girl who stood in front of her, holding a little blue bundle of blankets that she could only guess was a baby. For a moment, the woman's eyes sparkled with a slightly less than sane psychotic gleam.. Was this girl one of Franco's past one night mistakes?

"Whose child is that?" she asked, the girl taking a step back as she answered "Mine.. As in you're not getting your hands on him, lady."

"I meant, who is the father? It's not my son.. Is it?" Heather asked as Gabriella laughed and then said "God no.. I'm not really into men that much older than me for one thing, and for another, the man in this hotel room is actually my father.. According to my recently deceased mother, of course. None of this is really any of your business.. I'd really like to see Franco now?" Gabriella said in a determined and annoyed tone as Heather smirked, stepped aside and yelled into the room, "Son... There's someone here to see you.."

Franco staggered out, he'd been on a drinking binge lately, Carly's dumping him was merely just the tip of the iceberg. His mother escaping from the asylum he'd put her away in again, until she was deemed suitable or not to fit trial, again.. That was a huge pain in his ass.

Not only those two things, but not so long ago, having his only chance at being a father taken from him and dashed completely.. Then there was the matter of his own father, Scott Baldwin, hating him, not even trying to give the guy a real chance to prove he wasn't still some deranged cold blooded killer..

It hadn't been a good few months for the formerly insane psychopathic artist with homicidal tendencies to say the least.

"I've called the damn police, Heather. If you're smart, you'll leave now, or they won't have to escort you back. You'll actually really be dead this time, mother." Franco said stiffly, an angry glare in his eyes as he turned his attention to this unexpected pair of visitors lingering hesitantly in the doorway of his hotel room.

"Who the hell are you?" he asked her as he looked at the bundle of blue blankets in her arms. "That kid isn't mine.. Just so you know. So if you were going to try and con me, you can go now."

Gabriella glared at him and said calmly, "No, this kid is not yours. And if I were going to con someone, sir, I'd make damn sure it wasn't some washed up, drunken bum of an artist." before shoving a manila envelope and a small cigar box into his hand, taking off for the elvator.

Maybe she'd been completely wrong, maybe this had been a completely stupid fucking mistake after all. He hadn't looked happy to see her there, not at all. He'd seemed like he didn't want anyone around him, to be perfectly honest.

Franco watched her walking away, almost shrugging it off, but curiousity had him closing the door and sitting down on the floor in front of it, dumping the contents of the cigar box she'd shoved into his hands, which proved to be an almost endless stream of pictures.

Then he tore open the envelope and read the papers inside, read the child's diary tucked away inside.

The letter fluttered out and fell neatly into his lap. He recognized the stationary it was written on, apparently it was from a really shitty hotel on the way into town.

Dad,

Wow, umm, where to start? I'm not really good at this, the whole expressing my feelings thing.. I mean I spent almost all my life wondering who you were, my mother refused to tell me. She also refused to be a mother, but that's another story altogether. When she died, she finally told me who you were, and since then, I've basically been trying to find you, or at least find out about you.

I mean I'm not even sure if you wanted to be a father, or if you do now. I just had to at least see you. I guess it's me getting closure on a lot of things I missed in my life. I'm doing it so I can be a better mother to my own son than my mom was for me.

I pretty much know by now that she never actually tried to tell you about me, so I don't blame you. I just wanted to say that before I went any farther.

This letter means that I've actually seen you. I'll most likely leave town now, get out of your hair, because I'm guessing it won't go well for me. Nothing ever really seems to.

But if you do want to get to know me, and you don't think this is some con or a huge fucking crock of shit, my cell phone number is 921 – 543 – 0054

Gonna end this now, before I really start to ramble on nervously.

Gabriella Nicole

After reading the letter, Franco went back through everything she'd given him before basically running out of the building as if the hounds of hell were on her heels and just sat there quietly, letting it all sink in. He groaned and palmed his face, then stood up and grabbed the keys to his rental car.

"The least I can do is talk to the kid. This might be the only thing in my life that could still go right." Franco muttered as he walked out of the lobby of the Metro Court and into the parking garage. He just happened to catch her at her car, tapping her shoulder, looking at her with a raised brow when he heard her swearing up a storm at herself for even apparently trying to find him.

"It wasn't a bad idea.. It just hasn't been the greatest year for me." Franco said quietly as he looked at the girl, wondering what in the hell made her mother keep her a secret. Sure, they'd had their problems, they'd fought more than anything, they hadn't had an ideal relationship by any means, but maybe if he'd been there..

"So you're 19..."

"Apparently so." Gabriella nodded quietly as she looked at him and said quietly, "I should just go. I mean I wasn't expecting to show up in the middle of that.. Whatever the hell it was upstairs.." as she waved towards the building, biting her lower lip anxiously.

Franco studied her a few moments and then shaking his head said calmly, "You are my daughter.. Seeing those pictures of you with your mother proved it.. I was pretty serious with your mother for a really long time, then one day she just disappeared."

Gabriella raised her brow then said "Yeah, I sort of figured she did that. She was good at just picking up and leaving." quietly. Franco nodded and then rubbing his bare arms said "You and the little guy shouldn't be out in the cold.."

"I was actually about to leave, go back to the hotel room I've got." Gabriella muttered as her son cried and she shifted him around in her arms, adjusting the thick blankets wrapped around him. Franco shook his head and said "Now there's not a chance I'm gonna let you two go back to that hotel. I mean it's on the worst side of town..." as he looked at her. She seemed jumpy, skittish and afraid.

Of him?

She had told him in the letter she'd put in with the proof she'd given him that she was his daughter that she'd found out everything about him before even coming here... If she knew, why be afraid now?

"Are you okay?" he asked, his paternal instincts, never having been used before, surfacing and surprising him when they did.

"Not really, sir, no.. I need to leave town, because if I don't, then I'm gonna have to have a conversation with someone that I don't really want to have a conversation with.. About my son. I don't want the temptation, really.. He'd say all these sweet things and I'd stay, like an idiot, he'd use me again.." Gabriella said as Franco asked, "You mean the father of your baby, right?"

"Yeah.. I just.. When I came here to find you, damn sure didn't think I'd find him here too." she muttered as she dug through her diaper bag and produced a bottle, handing it to the small little baby boy under all the blankets. Franco nodded and then said "It's probably none of my business, but since you are apparently my daughter.. What's this guy's name?"

"Morgan.. He went to a military school near the performing arts school I went to in Tennessee. I mean I knew he was from New York, but he never actually told me what town or anything.. We were friends until...Nevermind, I'd really rather not talk about it, if you don't mind.. The point is, sir, I don't want to get sucked back into his whole 'vulnerable, wounded guy' act because I'm pretty much done being made an idiot out of." Gabriella said as Franco stepped back, chuckling while shaking his head.

"That's all the more reason you shouldn't leave town right now, actually.. I mean I can tell you actually love the guy, I don't personally see why, he's a no good..." Franco started as the shock from her little announcement just now began to sink in.

Not to gloat or anything, but he was actually pretty damn proud of her. She was doing something on her own that most girls her age didn't really even bother trying to do. Most of them would've probably given up the baby, cut their own losses.

This alone had him curious about his own child, wanting to get to know her better. And as her father, he didn't think keeping something this huge from the father of her own child was a very good idea.

Even if it was the son of a known mobster and his former girlfriend.

"Just don't leave town.. Come back up to my suite, you and the little guy can stay in there.. I'd really rather not watch you drive off knowing you're going to that hotel down by the docks on the way out of town. That place is crawling with people probably a lot worse than me."

She studied him a moment and then said quietly, "Just a few days couldn't hurt I suppose.." as she grabbed her bag with her sons things in it, and one of her overnight bags with her own clothes inside. They walked back into the lobby of the hotel about the same time as Morgan came walking through the doors.

She swore sharply, looked down at her feet, keeping her face hidden. Morgan walked past without seeing her, of course..

She took a few deep breaths once the elevator was closed, and then her father said firmly, "Keeping this isn't a good idea. Tends to work out for the worst when you keep something like that.. And think about your own life, that letter you wrote me.. Do you want your son growing up not knowing anything about his father?"

Gabriella thought it over and sighed quietly then said "No, I don't.. I was gonna tell him before I left town, actually.. I wrote a letter to him earlier."

"It needs to happen face to face." Franco said as they walked down the empty corridor to his suite.

She sat there thinking about her father's words, the last fight she and Morgan actually had, the one she told him she was done with him if he walked out the door and left to go to this other girl he was so 'in love with'.. She also thought about their friendship as a whole, all the things he'd helped her through, all the promises that for the most part, he'd kept.

Morgan sat at a table in the Metro Court's dining area, fumbling with a napkin as he thought back to the last night he actually saw her, she kept trying to tell him something, but he kept telling her he had to leave, that he didn't love her like she apparently loved him, that he was sorry for that.

He really had, he just hadn't wanted her in all the danger he found himself in at that point in time, especially with no guarantee that his father would do anything to protect her. And he knew he was the less loved son, the bad seed, so he just figured she deserved a lot better than him.

His mind went to the baby she had with her and he muttered quietly, "Maybe she found a good guy finally, a guy worth loving.. Maybe they're just here on accident." to himself.

Standing, he turned and walked down the hall to his mom's office, and started to knock on the door but hesitated because he just happened to look up and see Gabriella and the baby in her arms walking across the lobby as if they were heading back to the parking garage.

"I thought I saw her in the lobby earlier." he muttered as he took off running, called her name through the densely crowded lobby.

Gabriella stopped in her tracks, turned around slowly, her eyes widened in shock.

He caught up to her and then said quietly, "Gabriella?"

"Yeah, Morgan, it's me." she said quietly as her son started to cry a little, waking up from his nap. She sighed and Morgan asked, "So are you two here alone?"

"Why's it matter?" Gabriella asked as Morgan looked at her, sighed and then said quietly, "The night I left.. I mean you know half of what I was into.. I had to say all that and leave like I did.." as he held her gaze.

"Sure you did. Look, you were honest. So don't apologize for being honest with me. Let's just not do this here, okay? I mean we need to talk, Morgan, but not here. Not now.. It's already been one hell of a day for me, okay?" Gabriella insisted, pleading with him to just go away already.

Morgan, however, looked at her and then asked, "What made you come here? I mean it's obvious now it's not because I'm here.. So why'd you come here?" as he looked at her, wondered why she looked like she wanted to bolt through the doors and out of the building right now.

"My father happens to live here, okay, damn it? My real father.. The guy I was looking for when we were friends? The one you insisted I at least try to find? I found him and this is where he lives. I didn't think I'd run into you here, to be honest."

"Whoa, you found your father? That's great.." Morgan said as he smiled.. Maybe if her father was living here in town, then he could try and prove that he had lied the night that he walked out like he did, that he'd done it for her own good and he really had loved her then.

It'd just taken him having to leave her behind to keep her out of harms way to make him see that actually.

"What'd we need to talk about?" he asked, remembering she'd said that they did need to talk, just not here or now apparently.

The advice given to her from a father she'd only knew for a few hours by this point rang in her ears as she looked at him, wondering if she should just run like hell.. 'He deserves to at least know..And do you want your son growing up like you did?'

"Outside." she said calmly as she walked through the doors and out into the parking garage. Morgan followed her, watched her with the baby in her arms. "Can I hold him?" Morgan asked as Gabriella looked at him a moment and then said "You said you didn't want kids.. You said that you didn't want to settle down.. You're really not going to like what I'm about to say."

Morgan's stomach churned a little as things started to click into place. He took the little baby boy from her, and looking into the little boy's eyes, he got the sneaking feeling he knew what she was about to say. He could hear his heart beating in his ears and he got the feeling that somehow, she was about to give him everything he actually did want, but lied to her then and himself, saying he didn't.

"Wait.. What you're about to tell me, Gabriella.. Is it about your son?" he asked quietly, looking at her.

She bit her lower lip and said simply, "Yeah, Morgan.. That night, when you said all that and left, I was trying to tell you then that I was pregnant. You just didn't care to hear it, so I basically assumed we were done for good.. But he's your son."

Morgan took a few deep breaths and then asked quietly, "What's his name?"

"Morgan Alexander.. He seems to like Xander more though.. Or Morgan." Gabriella said as she looked at him and added in a rush, "But don't worry.. Even if I do stick around, really not expecting you to do anything for either of us.. I mean given how clear you were on just how you felt about all this back then. I'm not going to be one of those girls so you don't have to worry about me trying to get money or anything from you."

"Gabriella, I..." he started as she looked at him and said quietly, "It's okay, Morgan.. Look, I get it. You'll never actually love me like I love you.. And you don't want any part of this. I'm fine with it. I'm not here for you, I'm here to get to know my own father. I should really get going.. Going to get my things from the hotel.. My father doesn't think it's a good idea that I keep staying there. And he sorta needs me around.. It's nice to be needed, actually."

She took her son from his arms and looking at him she said quietly, "All that being said.. If you actually want to see him, I'm not going to stop you. I just don't think it'll ever work with us." as he started to protest, but fell silent.. For now, he'd just prove her wrong a little here, a little there, work his way back in.

"Can I see him tomorrow?" Morgan asked as Gabriella thought it over then said quietly, "Sure. We're in one of the suites on the second floor. I'm gonna get going now, it's cold out, I don't like getting him out in this any more than I have to." as she took their son from him and held the little baby against her, looked at him a minute.

As she walked to her car, he stood there shell shocked. When he finally gathered himself and his composure, he groaned and muttered, "Yeah.. That figures.. I finally have a chance to fight for her, and I'm knee deep in the middle of danger again. And she's given up."

He walked back into the building, sank down into a chair in the lobby, sitting there, lost in thought. There were entirely too many things running through his mind right now, and he'd never been this angry with himself before. She'd been trying to tell him that night..

But maybe his leaving then had been for the best.. If he'd stayed, she'd have been in danger, so would their baby and that's the last thing he wanted.

"Yeah, but now, they could be in even deeper.. Because when all of this plays out, Julian Jerome and his family will all pretty much be gunning for me and anyone connected to me."

He ran out to his car and jumped in, doing the one thing he knew he could to.. If he talked to his father now, if he told him everything then maybe Gabriella and the baby would be okay.

The whole drive to his father's house was filled with mostly him being angry at himself for again being too stupid to know what he really wanted, then too damn afraid to actually try and make it happen.. Afraid to fail, afraid he wouldn't be good enough, afraid she'd think one day down the line that she could have done so much better..

Then he thought about her telling him she'd found her father, and he lived in Port Charles.. And apparently, he was staying in the Metro Court..

"I wonder who her father is." he muttered to himself as he decided that he'd ask the next day. For now, he was just glad he might be getting a second chance to fix his biggest regret (behind meeting Kiki offline, of course, and the whole thing with her mother that hadn't been any help) to date.

Now he finally might get what he really wanted. Even if he had to fight for both of them, he was pretty much determined to do that. Whatever it took, really, to get her to see that he'd left that night, he'd said all those things to her that night so she wouldn't be in any danger.

And because he'd been afraid then.