Chapter 2

Kristina took a look at herself in her full length mirror. She had settled on a peach colored cocktail dress with spaghetti straps that had slight flaring at the bottom which was a few inches above her knee. She paired it with nude, open toed heels. It seemed dressy, yet casual enough for a summer night. She decided instead of curling her hair to straighten it which made it seem even longer as it was nearly to the middle of her back. The outfit was completed with a pair of topaz teardrop earrings her father had given her on her last birthday.

There was a knock at her apartment door. She moved out of the lakehouse a few months ago when Alexis seemed to be doing better. She found a nice two bedroom apartment just down from Crimson and PCU so it was very convenient. She thought about getting a roommate but she liked having her own space too.

She took a breath before opening the door. There he stood. He had on a nice tan sports coat with khaki dress pants and a white collared shirt. The light colors set off his bronzed skin and green eyes. He held a small bouquet of white roses in his hand, which was surprising to Kristina considering this was more business related, or so she thought.

"Hi, come in." She stepped aside so Brady could enter.

"These are for you." He handed her the bouquet of three white roses.

"That's so sweet of you. Thank you."

"Well, my father always taught me to never show up to pick a lady up empty handed."

"Well, I'll have to thank your dad if I ever meet him." She walked into the kitchen to grab a vase.

Brady smiled at her. She seemed so genuine and without pretense. "He would probably regale you with stories of how I would roll my eyes at him whenever he told me anything while I was growing up."

"So, is he your grandfather Victor's son?"

"No, my mother was Victor's daughter."

Kristina was grabbing her purse when she took note of the 'was' he used.

"Was?" she paused.

"She passed away shortly after I was born."

"Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Thank you. I never knew her but you know at points in my life I've always felt her near me. It's hard to explain." He cleared his throat slightly. "By the way, and not to change the subject but you look wonderful. I'm sorry I didn't say that earlier."

Kristina blushed slightly despite herself. "Thank you. I'm sorry you got stuck with just me tonight. I know everyone else would have loved to come, it was just they honestly had other plans."

Brady shook his head. "What do you mean 'stuck'? I don't think anyone could consider an evening out with you as being 'stuck'."

Although Kristina was enjoying the flirting she just wasn't sure what to make of Brady Black. "Mr. Black, are you always this charming?" She teased.

Brady reached for her hand, which she obliged in giving it to him. He kissed it. "Ms. Davis, if you'll allow, you haven't seen anything yet." His green eyes sparkled with flirtatious mischief. "Shall we?"

"Lead the way." She smiled at him.

The Metro Court

Brady and Kristina sat down to dinner. Kristina mirrored his order of iced tea. It wasn't a huge deal for her not to drink and she didn't want to be rude since she didn't really know why Brady didn't. They ordered dinner and gave their menus back to the waiter.

"Kate recommended this restaurant to me, I hope it's ok?" Brady said taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh it's great. Probably the best place in town. My father's ex-wife owns it."

"So your parents aren't together?"

"Oh no. I was mostly raised by my mother. My father and I don't have the closest relationship but we love each other."

"Well, he did stop by to see you while you were at work right?"

"That was probably more for Kate, they are seeing each other." Her eyes bugged out slightly as the words escaped her mouth. "I mean, uh….they're friends." She tried to recover.

Brady looked at her puzzled and then smiled. "I take it Kate doesn't want everyone knowing this?"

"No, she's just very private and you're doing business with her and it really isn't my place to tell you something personal like that. I mean if she wants to that is completely her business right? I'm sorry, I ramble sometimes."

Brady couldn't help but laugh. Kristina was young, but she was such a breath of fresh air to him. It was nice talking to someone that had no guard up.

"I won't say anything. I promise."

She breathed a sigh of relief and then looked at Brady who was smiling at her. "You must think I'm a goof."

"No, actually I was just thinking about how unguarded you are."

Kristina let out a chuckle at the irony of that statement.

"What, what did I say?" Brady asked.

"Oh nothing. It's just funny you used the word 'unguarded' because I grew up with guards around me since I was a child."

"So that is what you meant earlier when you said you had access to guards."

"Yes, and if I recall you said your grandfather had guards to. Do you mind if I ask why?"

Brady sat back a little in his chair. "Well, how should I put this…my grandfather hasn't always walked on the right side of the law I guess would be the best way to say it. He used to travel in circles that required him to be very 'cautious', I guess would be another good way to put it. He grew up in Greece and built an empire there that he then brought to the US. I use the word empire because that is what they used to call an underworld organization I guess. Since then he's pretty much retired from that lifestyle and has thrown himself into Titan and its subsidiary companies."

Kristina just stared at Brady and couldn't believe her ears. She let a wide smile escape her as she couldn't believe the irony of this whole situation.

"What's that smile for?" He asked wondering what he said that could cause that grin.

"Oh nothing, I was just thinking about how funny life is sometimes." She could see the look on Brady's face. She took another sip of her iced tea and then set it back down. "Do you remember I introduced you to my father?"

"Yes. Michael right?"

"Yes. Michael Corninthos Jr. He also goes by the name of Sonny Corinthos." She waited for recognition.

"He seemed polite." Brady interjected not knowing where she was going with this.

She squinted her eyes at him, nearly every man on the east coast recognizes her father's name. "He can be. You don't recognize his name?" She asked astounded.

"I'm sorry, should I?"

"Wow. This is different."

"Ok, are you talking in some sort of Port Charles code that I need an interpreter for?"

"No, I'm sorry. Well, here let me try it this way. My father is Sonny Corinthos." She paused. "The most recognizable figure in organized crime on the East coast."

Brady sat for a second as he let that sink in. "Interesting."

"You know, come to think of it. My mother is also from Greece as was my grandfather, and that is a whole other side of the family tree there." She shook her head and took a sip of her drink at the thought of her Cassidine heritage too.

"Well, I guess we have more in common than we thought." Dinner arrived just then so they paused their conversation as they were served and took a few bites.

"So, let me get this straight though, your father is in essence a mob boss, and you're going into law school?" It was a statement but he said it as more of a question.

"I know, kind of funny huh?" She said taking a bite of her grilled salmon.

He took a bite of his filet. "I'd bet that even for someone so young you have a million experiences you've gone through."

She nodded her head and took another bite. "Well, not all of them have been good. But, enough about me. How about we hear more about you? You've talked about your grandfather, but what about your father?"

Brady sat back and took a bit of a breath before answering. "My father and I have gone in spurts. We were close when I was in grade school, drifted apart when I was in high school, and then became close again when I went to college. He's a good man. He's had a hard life and I couldn't even imagine going through the things he has, but he's always landed on his feet."

"What does he do?" Kristina asked.

"He's CEO of Basic Black. It's a clo…"

"Oh, I love that line!" Kristina exclaimed recognizing the clothing brand.

"I'll let him know you're a fan." He smiled at her enthusiasm.

"So, why did you join Titan instead of Basic Black?"

"I thought about it a lot and I actually have worked for both but Titan seemed a better fit for me."

"Well, you seem to be good at what you do. Kate spoke highly of both you and your grandfather. She's excited to join your label, and let me tell you she doesn't excite that easily." They both laughed and continued with their dinner. The conversation was fun and easy. They talked about growing up and their younger siblings and rebelling against that 'you're the oldest and should set an example' mentality. She discussed Yale and returning home after Alexis took ill again. He discussed his grandfather taking care of him after he bottomed out with his struggle against drugs and thus his choice to not drink very often even though he hasn't had an issue with alcohol.

The check came and Brady paid and was signing the receipt. "Would you like to go grab a drink somewhere?"

Confused, "but I thought you didn't really like to drink?"

"I still do from time to time, but I don't have to drink to enjoy the company of a beautiful woman." He grinned and put his card back in his wallet. "Do you know a good place?"

Kristina thought for a second after taking in his compliment. "Yeah, I do."

"Ok, this time also feel free to have an actual drink if you'd like. It doesn't offend me." It was almost like he read her mind.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't want…." She tried to apologize and explain.

"Oh, hey, it's ok. It happens. I just wanted to make sure you knew it was ok."

"I'm not much of a drinker anyway. I'm kind of a lightweight. I'm developing my taste for wine but not too much else."

"Well, let's go." He stood up and walked around to pull Kristina's chair out for her. They made their way to the elevator and left.

Jake's

Brady walked in behind Kristina and took a look around. It looked like the Cheatin' Heart back home. Not too many people around. A couple of guys in a booth. A couple at another booth and two people at the bar. Music sounded good too.

"Brady?"

"I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked what you'd like to drink?"

"Oh, I'll take a club soda. Thanks."

"Coleman?"

The bartender turned to see Sonny's daughter calling him over. He'd only seen her in there a couple of times since she turned 21 and although he liked her, he thought it better for his business if Kristina not get into any trouble at his place, so he was ok with her not being a regular. The man that was with her he didn't recognize, which usually wasn't a great sign.

"Hey sweetheart, how are you doing tonight?" He asked as he made over to her.

"Good thanks. Hey can we get a glass of Merlot and a glass of club soda?"

"Sure thing." I'll bring it out to ya' if you two want to grab a table.

"Thanks." She turned to look inside. Uh oh, she thought to herself. She was hoping to not run into anyone that she knew tonight. She was having a good time getting to know Brady and wanted it to continue uninterrupted, however in the corner she spotted her two best friends Johnny and Ethan. She didn't want to walk over but Johnny saw her. She waved and then chose a booth close to the door to sit with Brady. Hopefully Johnny would take that as a 'I'll talk to you later' signal.

Brady saw Kristina wave at the two men at the booth on the opposite side of the bar. They both turned to look at him, and both gave him a once over look that showed him in some way, shape, or form, Kristina mattered to them.

"So, I know it doesn't look like much but it really is a nice place. I don't come here a lot but I usually have a good time when I do." She explained to Brady.

"The bartender seemed to know you, so are you sure you aren't a closet regular?" He teased her.

"No, that's a Sonny's daughter thing. Plus I've grown up in Port Charles my whole life."

"Ah. Ok. Well, no, actually this place reminds me of a place we have back home called the Cheatin' Heart."

"Cheatin' Heart?" Kristina smiled. "Sounds kind of 'country'."

"I guess I never thought about it that way but yeah, you're probably right." He laughed as Coleman brought their drinks over and set them down.

"Here you go Ms. Kristina." Coleman said as he gave each drink to them.

"Thanks Coleman."

"Who's your friend? If you don't mind me asking?" He probed.

Kristina squinted her eyes. "Well, are you asking or is it the nosy twins over there?" She accused as she saw John walk over and refill his drink a second ago and then make his way back over to Ethan. She could feel their eyes on her.

"I am offended. You know what happens at Jake's stays at Jake's." Coleman tried to sidestep her question.

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes slightly at him. "This is Brady Black. Brady this is Coleman."

"Nice to make your acquaintance Mr. Black. This is a fine girl you have here so just make sure you treat her as such." Coleman issued his warning politely, which she knew either was for John's benefit or her father's.

"Oh, I will. I can assure you and anyone else that is interested in knowing that Kristina is in safe hands."

Coleman nodded and walked back to the bar.

"Well, that was smooth." Kristina said taking a sip of her wine.

"I just wanted to assure the two men in the corner that I mean you no harm." He smirked at her. "Do you mind if I ask you who they are?"

"Oh, not at all. They are just good friends of mine. They've known me since I was 16 years old and tend to be overprotective at times. The tan one with the shorter hair is Johnny and the tall one is Ethan. If their stares bother you we can leave."

Brady laughed. "Trust me, it will take more than a few stares to scare me off. I can handle myself."

"Oh, I don't doubt that." She stared at him admiring his calmness and strength of character. He wasn't a boy or a guy trying to prove himself. He was a man completely comfortable in his own skin.

Brady returned her gaze. He wasn't sure if asked, he could pinpoint what about Kristina captivated him but with each passing moment he found himself wanting to spend more moments with her. He cleared his throat trying to break the moment of silent stares. "So, do you play much pool?"

"Oh, uh, no, not really. I've played once or twice but that's all." For a moment there Kristina thought Brady was going to kiss her. It was just something about the way he looked at her.

"Would you like to, or would that make you feel too on display for your friends?"

Kristina tilted her head and gave him an 'are you kidding' look. "Yeah, no, I think I can handle it." She responded sarcastically. He stood up and reached a hand out to help her out of the booth. They made their way over to the pool table and he began to rack.

Johnny and Ethan decided to let a rough night go and meet at Jake's for a couple drinks. Ethan was venting to John about Luke's latest disappearance. It didn't normally bother him, but this time he knew he took off on an assignment for Helena. He hadn't done that since he had a death wish a few years back after hitting Jake and decided to enter into some business dealings with the Cassidine matriarch. He knew better than to go after Luke, but with Lucky being gone now working for the FBI he felt like he had a greater responsibility to Lulu to make sure she didn't worry about him.

Johnny had a relatively quiet day. His father is back in prison now and his truce with Sonny has held for quite some time. Doesn't mean they are on hospitable terms by any means but at least they are not on the streets trying to gun the other down. Still, day to day life in this organization is reason enough for a drink.

Both men were surprised to see Kristina walk in with a gentleman that neither recognized. He was older than her, probably around Johnny's age, and didn't shy away from their stares when he walked in. John asked Coleman if he knew anything about the man, but he didn't. Coleman took the silent request and reported back his name. Brady Black. It didn't ring a bell. Ethan was trying not to stare at them as they started a game of pool and he could hear Kristina laugh at something this Brady said. Johnny broke their silence.

"Well, maybe it's just a date." Johnny said trying to dial down any need for concern. He cared about Kristina like a little sister and was always going to look out for her.

"That bloke looks way too old for her." Ethan said with a sour tone.

"Not everybody is as hung up on age as you Ethel." John took a drink.

"Come on John, Krissy is barely 21 and he looks maybe 30, so you tell me what he could be after?" He said sarcastically.

"She'll be 22 in November." He rolled his eyes a little at Ethan's comment. That was always Ethan's excuse for running away from his feelings for Kristina. He seemed to have a handle on things since she returned from Yale a year ago. Kristina has had too much going on to pursue any feelings she may have had for Ethan, and Ethan seemed willing to let her go, albeit to Johnny's dismay because he really thought he'd get over whatever was going on in his head about her.

"Look, she looks happy and I'll check him out in the morning to make sure he's decent for her, beyond that I don't really think it's our business."

"I just don't want her to get taken advantage of or hurt by anyone. She's been through enough with Alexis this year."

"Alexis is in remission now so maybe it's time for Kristina to let off a little steam too. I mean, like you said, she's been through a lot, and if anyone deserves some happiness it's her."

It was hard to argue with John's logic. Ethan just quietly drank his beer. He hadn't seen Kristina with anyone in a while and just like it did last time, feelings were bubbling inside his gut at the sight of her dressed up and laughing with a man. Especially since this was in fact a man, not just a barely 20 year old boy.

Later that night

Brady and Kristina walked along the docks. Kristina showed him Kelly's even though it was already closed. She told him it was the best local place to go for something quick to eat and just relax. As they walked along the docks she pointed Wyndemere out to him and gave him the brief version of who the Cassidines were.

"Wow, that is impressive." He said taking in the island with the grand Castle on it.

"Yeah, the island is called Spoon Island and the castle is Wyndemere. My cousin Nikolas owns it. He visited for a few months while my mom was sick but he left back to Greece just a few weeks ago. I think you'd like him. He's so….I don't know…regal. He's the epitome of refinement but he's so nonjudgmental and easy to talk to."

"I'll have to ask my grandfather if he recognizes the name Cassidine. He loves Greece and visits at least once a year so I'm sure he's heard of them, especially if they're royalty." He paused a second and continued to stare out at Wyndemere. "Did you say your cousin left already?"

"Yeah, a couple of weeks ago. Why?"

"Well, I could have sworn I saw a light on out towards, the east side of the castle."

"It's probably a caretaker or something. He still makes certain the property is cared for and maintained."

"Makes sense. You wouldn't want an estate like that to deteriorate. I think my grandfather would be tempted to purchase it if he saw it." Brady laughed at the thought.

"It's dark, and sometimes overpowering but it can also be, I don't know, romantic. I remember visiting when I was very young and Nikolas lived there with his wife Emily. It had a completely different feeling when you entered. She filled that place with such warmth and the love they shared was just beautiful. I mean, I was very young, but the feeling still stays with me." She gets lost in the memory for a moment.

"Are they not together anymore?" he asked.

"She was killed. I think that's a large part of why Nikolas doesn't live in Port Charles anymore. I think the memories haunt him. I can't say as I blame him."

"Yeah, that would be hard."

A summer breeze hit at that moment and even though the night was fairly warm it brought a chill to Kristina. She shivered which Brady noticed.

"Are you cold?"

"Oh, just a little. I swear I must be cold blooded or something because I'm always cold. My mom used to make fun of me because she'd be roasting and I'd be curled up on the coach in a blanket. We could never agree on the temperature in the house."

Brady had his sport coat in his arm and he draped it over Kristina's shoulders. "Here, it might drown you since you're so small but it will keep you warm. You know, that's probably why you're cold. There isn't much to you." He teased her.

She rolled her eyes at him and her mouth gaped open as if she were shocked. "Hey, pound for pound I'm as tough as they come." She playfully swatted his arm.

He mocking grabbed his arm where she hit him and bent down as if injured. "Oh my god, that hurt!"

"Drama queen." She retorted without emotion then broke out in laughter. "You know I actually have signed up for a self defense class. It's day after tomorrow."

"That's great. I think every woman should take one. My sister Belle is pretty small also and my dad taught her a few things just so she knew how to protect herself."

"Your Dad knows self defense?"

"Well, he was a Merchant Marine and then a Detective on the Salem Police Department for a while. He wanted to make sure we knew how to defend ourselves."

Kristina thought about that for a second. She wished her dad had done that with her instead of just wanting guards around her all the time. It might have prevented her being hospitalized at Keifer's hands.

"Hey, are you ok?" He tapped Kristina's shoulder. She appeared to have zoned out.

"Hmm…oh, I'm sorry."

"You looked like you got lost there for a second. Is there something wrong?"

Kristina bit her lip wondering if she should say anything. "What you said just made me think about my dad and how I wished he would have done that with me rather than just trying to put a guard on me all the time growing up. I think it would have helped."

Brady looked at her and could see there was more to that. "Did something happen to you growing up?"

Kristina wondered if she should keep going. She walked over to the bench nearby and sat down and Brady followed her. "When I was sixteen my boyfriend started off by slapping me. By the time I was seventeen he'd beaten me and left me a bloodied heap on the floor of my mom's house."

Brady was shocked but tried to not show it on his face so to not make Kristina feel uncomfortable. "I'm sorry."

Kristina shrugged her shoulders. "You know, I believe we go through what we do for a reason. I mean, I learned a lot from that experience. Sometimes though I wish I would have had more self respect for myself. I wish that maybe I would have seen through the garbage he'd say to me or that maybe someone would have been there to show me how to do more than just curl up in a ball and pray for it to end quickly."

Brady just looked at her. Strands of her long hair just ever so slightly blowing in the breeze, her tan complexion appeared to glow against the slight shimmer of the lamp lights on the docks. He reached his hand out for hers. She looked at it and then up at him. He had a look about him that just put her at complete ease. She took his hand. He stood up and helped her stand up in front of him. Although he was suddenly feeling the strongest desire to kiss her, he resisted and instead cleared his throat and pulled her hand palm up towards his face.

"Ok, so if someone comes at you from in front, ball you hand up and bend it back palm up." He tapped the ball of the palm of her hand. "Then you jab this part straight up into their nose. You could quite possibly break it, but at the least you'll daze him so you can try to get away."

She pressed her lips together and then let a smile escape. "So, uh, what do you do if someone comes at you from behind?"

"Ah, well…" he took his coat off of her shoulders and set it on the bench. "Ok, is it ok if I grab you pretty tight?"

"Yeah, it's ok."

"Ok, well I'm going to come up from behind and put my arms around your bicep area to lift you up. Whatever you do try to not let that happen because you're very light and small and once you're in the air you'd be at a huge disadvantage. You want to bend forward as hard as you can and drive your foot into my foot. Then if you can get me to let you go, you'd want to knee me. Now, mind you we're going to stop before you do that."

Kristina broke out in laughter. "Ok, ok, I'm ready." She walked a few feet away from him and turned her back, he waited for a few seconds to put her a little more off guard. He slowly crept up behind her and grabbed her from behind. He didn't grab as hard as he could have because he didn't want to scare her. She struggled for a second and he was able to pull her up into the air, but she used all her body weight and surprisingly pulled herself back down and now forward. She was about to step on his foot when he let go abruptly and she felt a shove forward and fell to the ground.

She looked up and saw Brady with both his arms locked behind his back by Jason, and the two were struggling. Brady all of a sudden got an arm free and twisted behind Jason and shoved him forward. Jason quickly spun back around and pulled his gun out. Kristina jumped up and ran in front of Brady. "Jason don't!" she screamed. Brady grabbed her and pulled her into him and then turned shielding her from the gun with his body. "No, Jason stop, don't shoot!" Kristina screamed again unable to see Jason and what he was going to do.

Jason saw the man protect Kristina so put his gun down to his side and reassessed the situation. "Let her go." He ordered.

Brady slowly stood up and turned back around to look at the man that jumped him. He had the coldest stare he'd ever seen on anyone. It wasn't evil, it was almost blank. Kristina jumped out from his grasp and went again to stand in front of him. "Are you crazy? You don't just go jumping people and pulling your gun out Jason!"

Jason stood there and listened to Kristina yell at him. Obviously she knew this man. Jason put his gun back behind his back but still didn't say anything. He just stared at Brady. Brady didn't back down from the man's cold glare. "It looked like you were being attacked." He said simply and with eerie calm.

Kristina took a breath trying to regain her composure. "Ok, I understand that but Jason, really?" She turned to Brady. "Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. Are you ok?" He asked concerned for her.

"Yeah, I think I just scraped my knee." She turned back to Jason and took a breath before continuing. "Jason, this is Brady Black. Brady, this is Jason Morgan, an Associate of my father's and my brother in law."

This town is just full of the unexpected, Brady thought to himself. "Well, normally I would shake your hand and say it's nice meeting you but you'll excuse me if I don't feel the situation particularly warrants it right now." Brady said trying to read the look Jason was giving him.

"Brady, I'm so sorry." Kristina apologized, completely embarrassed at what just happened.

"It's not your fault." He tried to put her at ease. He continued, addressing Jason. "I can see how the situation could have been misread. I was trying to teach Kristina some self defense maneuvers."

Jason softened his expression slightly knowing he jumped to the wrong conclusion. "I'm sorry."

Brady nodded in acceptance, it seemed to be the most sincere apology this man was capable of.

Kristina was mortified and couldn't believe this evening had to be ruined this way. "It's time we left anyway. Jason, I'll talk to you tomorrow." She walked over and whispered to him. "Don't follow me ok. He is an associate of Kate's and you could have already cost Crimson this deal."

Jason again stayed stoic but nodded. Kristina walked off the docks with Brady. Jason watched them walk away and then shot a text to Spinelli to run a check on Brady Black.