A/N: I like to thank my beta Shelby. Thank you for your help. I hope you like it, the story features 2 of my favorite couples.

Chapter 1: Status Quo

It was not a regular Wednesday for Ric Lansing. The former DA was now unemployed. Earlier that morning he had resigned from his position as attorney for the Zacharra crime family. He felt liberated and he whistled a happy tune, upon approaching the nurses' station at General Hospital.

Elizabeth Webber was engrossed in paperwork at the nurses' station at General Hospital. It was not the part of her job that she enjoyed doing, but it had to be done none the less. A tune however distracted her and when she looked up she noticed her former husband Ric Lansing. He seemed different and Elizabeth didn't know what it was. He was there, not missing any limbs. He was wearing a white shirt, black jacket and of course a black tie.

"Tie? He's not wearing a tie. Get a grip Elizabeth" her mind raced.

"Ric…" she spoke in a neutral tone. It was the one that she'd adopted from her former husband. "What can I help you with?"

Ric took a deep breath. "What are your plans on the 18th, two weeks from now?"

Elizabeth looked at him, slightly confused. "You mean the night of the auction?"

Ric nodded. "Yes. I mean, things have changed for us. We are on better terms than we were some time ago. Cameron is our son. And I don't see Jason Morgan attending a suit and tie event. Besides..." Ric flashed a Cheshire smile "I need your expert opinion, if I'm going to buy some of the paintings or other antiquities."

Elizabeth returned a smile. They had recently learned that Cameron was their son. Trevor had people manipulate the tests she had done at the lab. Ric's father never seized to amaze her. He had manipulated Ric ever since he was a young boy. Why would he stop now? "I'd be happy to go with you as your consultant. I can ask Grams to watch the boys. Now tell me, what's up? Why are you not wearing a tie?"

Ric smiled proudly "I finally did it. I broke free from my fathers influence. As of this morning I'm no longer representing the Zacharras. My father is on his own. He can no longer use me as a scapegoat, when he fails. I'm done with that. I want to change my life, for myself and my children. Come what may for myself, but Cameron and Molly are my first priority. I realize now that my life would destroy my children. I can't allow myself to go to any means, regardless of the consequences, to get my father's or my brother's approval. It's not worth it. I hope that you'll continue to let me be a part of Cameron's life. I know that I've not been around when he was younger and…."

Ric's speech was interrupted by Elizabeth when she pulled him into a tight hug. A few tears were shed. "Ric, I would never take Cameron away from you. No matter what happens between us, I would never use Cameron for leverage. Not after all this time. I'm happy that you're his father. You two are starting to bond. I would never try to disrupt that"

Slowly pulling away from the hug, Ric took a short moment to compose him. He reached into his pocket and pulled a business card out. "Here, you can pick any dress at this boutique. All you need to do is show them a valid ID card. I suggest you make an appointment soon. It can be a lot of work to customize your dress. They'll send the bill to me."

Elizabeth's jaw almost dropped from amazement. "You're allowing me to shop for a dress without any budget limits?" Elizabeth looked at the card for a moment, before she spoke again. "This boutique is the most expensive one in town. One dress costs more than I make in a month with overtime. Ric, we're talking about a dress that might cost a few grand."

Ric just nodded in response. "I know. But as the mother of my son, you deserve the best…" Before Ric could continue he was interrupted when his phone rang. The ringtone was U2's Vertigo. Ric took a second, before he pushed the green answering button. The name of the caller threw Elizabeth off.

"Hello Samantha" Ric answered in a calm voice. "Okay. I'll take that under consideration… Yes that would be the wise thing to do. Good luck convincing her." Ric closed his phone and took a deep breath. He then looked up, to find a surprised look on Elizabeth's face. "What's wrong?"

It took her a moment, before Ric's conversation sank in. Since when were Ric and Sam on speaking terms? When had they become friends? Were they more than just friends? "I'm just surprised that you and Sam are talking. As far as I knew the two of you couldn't stand each other. What changed?"

Ric sighed; he knew he had to explain it to Elizabeth someday. "Samantha and I have a shared goal. That goal is to keep that psychopath Jerry Jacks away from the kids. Sam has been spending a lot of time with Kristina lately and I've been taking trips with Molly and Cameron as often as I could. Jerry Jacks is becoming unstable, even worse than he was. He's up to something. Sam and I forged an unholy alliance to keep Kristina and Molly away from him. I know that you and Sam have had some serious issues. I don't trust her any further than I can throw her, but she wants the most stable life for the girls. It's too unstable with Alexis and Jerry. At this point, even with all the bad history between us all, a house with you, me, Sam, Lucky and the kids would seem stable."

Ric took once again a deep breath, for the next question. "Can I have Cameron tomorrow? I don't have a job right now and there is a fair just out of town. There's a merry-go-round and a big ferris wheel. I'm sure we'll have a good time. Besides, tomorrow is my day with Molly. I want Cameron to get to know his little sister. Please?"

Elizabeth nodded. "Very well, Audrey is watching Jake all day. I have a dayshift, which means I'll be done by six. By the time I'm home it'll be seven o'clock. Can you bring him home around then?"

Ric flashed a brilliant smile. "Thank you sweetheart; I'll pick him up at around 8.30 tomorrow morning. He'll be back by 7". He pointed to the business card, which was still in her right hand. "Don't forget to schedule an appointment. Take care" He gave her a kiss on the cheek goodbye.

Elizabeth saw him walk up to the elevators. She mouthed a "be careful" before the elevators closed. She was glad that Ric started to bond with his son. Things would turn out alright. She put the card in her pocket, reminding herself to schedule an appointment in two days. Her day went by faster than she'd had anticipated.

One day later

It was 6.50 PM. Elizabeth Webber was with her son Jake at home. Ric and Cameron would soon be back. When Cameron learned that he got to spend an entire day with his father and sister he was very excited. He and Ric had started to bond and they looked so much alike. To this day, she never knew how she had never figured it out before. The likeness between Ric and Cameron was overwhelming. That little boy had not only the looks of his father, but also some of his character traits. He was energetic and stubborn.

A big yawn escaped her mouth. It was a tiring day. Hospital gossip was at a peak these days. On top of that all the doctors were in a terrible mood today. Patrick and Matt were curt and didn't speak at all most of the time. It didn't help that Epiphany was in a particular foul mood today. Nothing she did was good enough today. She was relieved when her shift ended.

She walked up to the books on the dining table. Ric had asked her to be a consultant at the auction, his adviser and his companion. If she was going to advise her former husband, she might as well refresh some of her knowledge. She still had the talent for recognizing a fake painting, but she wanted to be read up on the background of the painters. She was looking forward to the auction. She'd made an appointment for tomorrow morning at the boutique. It'd required her to trade shifts, which caused her to have three night shifts in a row. She walked up to the window when she saw a car approaching.

It was Ric's SUV. He was right on time, as it was precisely 7 PM. She knew not to rush over there. It would seem as if she didn't fully trust him. She waited for him to ring the bell. As she opened the door, she caught sight of a family. A pretty picture: a father and his two children.

They were all smiling as they walked in. Ric sat Molly on the couch, next to Cameron who was holding a teddy bear that was at least two feet tall. It was brown and had caramel eyes. "How was your day?" He asked as he sat down between Molly and Cameron.

Elizabeth sat down on the chair opposite of the couch and sighed "well, it was going okay. Epiphany was in a foul mood and the doctors were no different. It's like they are either not looking forward to the gala or they are way too nervous. The tension is almost unbearable at times. But, other than that I'm doing okay". She noticed the bear in Cameron's arms. "Did daddy win that for you?"

Cameron shook his head "No, this nice lady won it for me. Aunt Sam is really great with a gun."

Ric saw the shock in Elizabeth's eyes. The look on her face was somewhere between suspicion and anger. This was not good. The last thing they needed was a fight about Samantha McCall. Before Ric said something to Elizabeth, he turned his attention to Cameron, who was unaware of the overwhelming tension in the room. "Hey son, why don't you get that comic-book you wanted to show me? I'll keep an eye on the bear."

Cameron nodded. "Okay, daddy wait right here". He walked towards the stairs.
"Take your time, buddy. I'll be waiting" Ric said, before he turned his attention back to Elizabeth. Her anger appeared to have been replaced by mostly suspicion and shock. "I'd prefer it if you don't yell" he said, while he took a look at Molly, who was fast asleep.

Elizabeth took her time before she finally spoke. "How is it that the woman I don't trust is such a big part of all our lives? You know what she did? There's no way, that I'll ever forget that." She didn't know how long she could remain calm, given what she just heard, before losing it. Thinking about their son seemed to calm her slightly.

Now it was Ric's turn to take his time before speaking. "I know what she did. I've heard it all, because she told me all about it. I don't like it at all. But I'm dealing with a very dangerous choice here. My father does not know the truth and neither does Jerry. This means that it is not too late for you to pull my privileges. I'm aware that if my father learns that I know that Cameron is our son or that Jerry learns that Cameron is mine, Cameron might be in danger. They'll both use the threat of violence to get the upper hand. In this case I fear my father even more than Jerry. If my father ever learns of our arrangement he'll try to kill us both to take guardianship of Cameron..." Ric saw the fear in Elizabeth's eyes so he placed his right hand on her knee. "Elizabeth, I will never let that happen. The harsh truth is however that I can't protect Molly, Cameron, Kristina and Jake without help from an outside source. I need your help in protecting Cameron and Jake, but I need Sam to protect Molly and Kristina. I'm not certain why, but I trust her at this point. She's the only one with various plausible excuses to take road trips with Kristina. She ensures my presence in Molly's life. Believe it or not, but she provides me with alibi's when I'm with Cameron. If I want to stay in Cameron's life, I must use her as a decoy. I hadn't planned on seeing her today. When she called yesterday she said that she would try to take a trip with Kristina, but she didn't disclose a destination. Alexis has to believe that our occasional run-ins are coincidences. If she suspects otherwise, then I lose the chance of being a father to both my children". Ric looked to his side, noticing that Molly was still fast asleep "I don't need an answer right now, but I won't like it if you put it off forever. I love them both, but at this point Molly is in more danger than Cameron. Cameron is absolutely safe as long as my father doesn't know that I know the truth. As long as Jerry is around my daughter, she'll be in danger. Please, don't force me to choose between my son and my daughter."

Elizabeth noticed tears in Ric's eyes. She stood up to sit next to him, where Cameron had sat just moments ago. To Ric's surprise she didn't hit him, but pulled him into a tight hug. When he heard her voice he realized the pain he'd put her through once again; "Ric, I know that you and I have a lot of things to work through. I know that you love them both. I wouldn't deny you access to Cameron, but I urge you to be careful. If what you say is true, then Sam is the very least of my worries. I'll keep a close eye on her, because I still don't trust her. Ric, we have to find a way to stop your father and Jerry. They can't hurt the children".

Ric quickly responded "They won't but we need to be prepared. Elizabeth, I have to ask two things of you. The first thing is that you prepare bags in case you should leave. This prevents you from losing a lot of time by packing. The second is…"Ric pulled a key out of his pocket. "This is a key to a safety deposit box at my bank in New York. In this box there's enough money to travel and there are passports for you, Cameron and Jake. Keep the key safe. I don't think we need all of this, but in case the worst things happens. Sam and I are trying to get them behind bars, but no one is willing to testify. The auction is in two weeks. Everyone will be there: Sonny, Jerry, Anthony and my father. The balance of power will be in the room. All we need is something to upset the established order. Once they are in chaos, there will be a small window of opportunity to put them out of business". Ric took a pause to take a deep breath "That is, if you still want to come with me."

Elizabeth simply nodded "Ric, I'll go with you. You're Cameron's father and he loves you. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me or the boys. If you and Sam have some sort of unholy alliance to bring Jerry Jacks and your father to justice than I'll support it, even if I don't trust her. Just remember, that she's not the only one who's on your side". She pulled him into a tight hug. Their moment was interrupted by Cameron who came down the stairs with a comic-book in his arms.

"Daddy, take a look" as he jumped in Ric's lap, waking up Molly, whose mood had not changed, thankfully. Ric spent the next 30 minutes reading the comic-book with Cameron. Molly, now wide awake, joined them as Elizabeth observed them. She knew that Ric loved them and he'd do anything to protect them. How important was Sam in all this? If she'd provided Ric with alibi's for him to spend time with Cameron then maybe it was possible that she had changed.

When Ric had left later that night with Molly, and Cameron was asleep, Elizabeth kept thinking about what he had said about his love for Molly and Cameron, about his fear of Jerry and his father, and about his alliance with Sam McCall. The auction was in two weeks. Then Elizabeth would see what everyone was made of. The established order had a lot of more power than Ric or Sam, but they'd also have a lot more to lose.

For now it was important to keep the status quo.

End of chapter