Thank you for the response to this already. I like the adding of this character. I am glad everyone likes her name. It makes it so I can make her the way I want her to be and not was has always been. Keep reading. Things are going to get interesting. There is some Spinelli in this so I hope I wrote him right. He is tricky to write because of the way he speaks.

I do not own the characters from General Hospital. The only thing I do own is the character Karisma.


Karisma

She looked out her hotel window at the city she now lived in. The sun was coming up and the sky was filled with golds and pinks and oranges. The clouds were nearly non-existent as the sun peaked up from the water. She hadn't slept that long the night before, and she always to be up before the sun in the mornings. She liked sunrises more than sunsets. She liked greeting the sun before starting her day out. She looked at it as a good way to start her morning off. She would always smile as the sun moved up more and more. She liked the way the sky was painted with all the different colors.

She looked forward to new days. She hoped every new day would be better than the last. She wanted something new to happen, and she liked learning something new every day. She heard her phone going off on the nightstand next to her bed. She knew who it was. Her mother called her every morning because she was the same way. She had learned to love sunrises because of her mother. She sighed and went to answer her phone.

"Hi, Mom," she greeted walking back to the window.

"You never told me if you made it there safe?" her mother ranted.

She rolled her eyes, "I texted you that I did."

"Texted is not calling. I don't like you being so far from home without calling. Port Charles is one of the worst cities in the country. The crime rate there is through the roof."

"Yes, Mom, you have already told me that, repeatedly. Look this is where my new job is located. Today I am going to go look for an apartment or at least a room to rent."

"Make sure you check the neighborhood to make sure it is safe."

Sometimes her mother's accent was so strong that she had to laugh. She had spent most of her life fighting against that accent because people always thought that if you have a southern accent you were not intelligent. She knew that was just a stereotype because her mother was one of the smartest women she knew.

"Mom, I have all the information you emailed me about the safest areas in this place. I will give it to the realtor and let her see if she can find anything in those areas. Please calm down and relax."

"I just worry. You are my baby. Of course I am going to worry about you. Especially after everything you have been through this year."

She cut her mom off before she could continue, "Look, Mom. Um, room service is here. I gotta let you go. I will talk to you tomorrow, kay?"

"Alright, let me know how it goes? Call me. Don't text me. I don't like text messages."

"Yea, yea, Mom. Look, I got to go."

She hung up before her mother could say anything else. She would have gone on and on for another hour if she had let her. Her mother was such a worry wart. She looked back out the window and saw that the sun was completely up in the sky. It was such an amazing sight to behold. She liked living on the east coast so she could see this every morning.

She decided it was time to get something to eat and she wondered what could possibly be open at 7 in the morning. She changed into some jeans and a long sleeve shirt. She had an hour to kill before she called the realtor. She walked to elevator and waited patiently. She figured she'd go to the restaurant called Kelly's. It looked like a friendly place, and it was probably open this early in the morning. She walked into the empty lobby and ran into a blonde woman who seemed to be in quite a hurry.

"I am so sorry," Karisma said once they untangled themselves.

"It's okay. I should have been paying attention," the blonde replied looking down at her.

She hated that she was so short that even woman looked down on her if she wasn't wearing heels. The woman seemed to take her in. This was the same reaction she got everywhere. She didn't get what the big deal was.

"You are new in town, aren't you?"

She nodded, "Yeah. Just got here yesterday."

"And you are staying here?"

"Mmm-hmmm. I am on my way now to get something to eat. Any suggestions?"

"Kelly's. Do you know where that is?"

"Yes, I passed it yesterday. That's where I was headed to actually. I'm Karisma."

"Wow. That's unique. I like it. Carly," the blonde smiled warmly shaking her hand.

"Thanks. Well, I am going to go get something to eat. Hopefully I don't take anyone else down with me on my way."

Carly smiled again, "Take 'um down if they are cute."

She continued to walk to Kelly's. It was a cool, brisk November morning. Thanksgiving was next week. She would probably end up going to her parents, but she was going to do everything in her power to not go. She didn't want to go home. She felt her phone vibrate in her pocket and she knew it was her mother. She probably wanted to ask another silly question about the town that she thought was so dangerous.

She walked by the docks again and saw that the water was a deep blue color now instead of the black ink that it was last night. It was almost pretty now. The water up north seemed dirtier than the water down on the coasts of North Carolina and Florida. The two places she had spent most of her youth. The water and beaches down there seemed clearer and more welcoming. This water looked like if a person swam in it, it would suck them down to the pits of hell. It was not inviting at all.

She finally made it to Kelly's and was relieved when she saw that it was open. She was freezing and could have used a cup of coffee. She walked inside and found table off to the side to sit at. She could see the door and no one could come up behind her. This was a habit she had gotten into lately. She wanted to be able to see her surroundings at all times. The waitress came up with a pot of regular coffee and poured her some. She ordered and pulled out her phone while she waited for her eggs.

She surfed the net and looked up the latest fashion trends the celebrities were wearing. She didn't care too much about what she wore, but she couldn't understand where fashion was headed these days. Thanks to shows like Jersey Shore animal print was flooding the fashion industry. She couldn't understand it. Shoes that were leopard print with 7 inch heels were the must haves right now.

She was a classic color girl. Her favorite shoes were black Manolo Blanhiks heels that she got in New York City a couple months ago were going to stand the test of time when it comes to fashion, in her opinion. They would go with anything and always look amazing. She checked her email and saw that she had another job offer for a paper in her hometown. She knew that was her mother's doing. She would never give up until she came home.

She was the only one of her siblings that had run for the hills. Her sisters and brothers had stay and gotten married after school. They were shining members of the community, and she was the one that wanted complete freedom. She wanted to spread her wings and fly away. She wanted more than what that town had to offer. She had always been the one that did things her own way. She was the only one who had finished college with a 4.0 GPA average. She had been valedictorian at both her high school and college.

She was like a square peg in a round hole when it came to her family. She just wasn't like them. She deleted the email and was happy that the waitress was bringing her plate. That was the same time that he came in. He was dressed in scrubs and a long jacket. She had seen him yesterday, but in the light of Kelly's she saw that he was absolutely adorable.

Dark eyes, dark hair with a scruffy beard. She wondered if he was a doctor since he was in scrubs. She would want him to be her doctor. There weren't men that looked him in her town. His eyes she saw were framed with thick, dark lashes that were so long they looked like they might touch the area under his eyes. Women paid good money for lashes like that, but men got them for free. She had lashes that were thick and long, but she hated them when it came to putting mascara on.

She stealthily watched him as he made his way to the counter to order. She could hear his voice, and liked the sound of it. It was soft and warm sounding. He didn't have a northern accent which was a refreshing change compared some of the other people she had talked to. She was used to the sing songy sounds of southerners talking. She looked away from him before he turned to look at her. She didn't want him to know she was staring at him.

The waitress came up and gave her the bill which she promptly handed her credit card. She figured it was almost time to call her realtor since the crowd was getting bigger inside Kelly's. She was just about to get up when she was stopped by the guy standing in front of her table.

Matt

Walking to Kelly's, he felt himself dragging. Even though he got to home earlier than he planned he could not sleep. His mind was still whirling with the events that had transpired over the last few hours. He still couldn't get over Jason stopping him to ask him about Elizabeth. He couldn't help but feel jealous that Jason was so concerned for her despite the fact that he was married to someone else. He felt that Jason had given up his right to worry for Elizabeth since he did go and marry another woman. A woman that Elizabeth very clearly did not care for.

Jason had asked him in secret away from everyone else so it was obvious that he was still keeping the way he felt for Elizabeth under wraps. He called the hospital to get a report on how Elizabeth was doing which was fine as he had known she would be. She was mending quite well despite the trauma she had been through over the last couple weeks. She was a fighter and she would never give up.

Then his thoughts went back to their kiss as it did every time he let his guard down. It wasn't the longest kiss, but it was so charged. It was charged with passion and yearning. He wanted her more in that moment than he had ever wanted any woman, and he still didn't know what to think of that. She had stopped them before they had done anything they both would regret. She didn't want to be involved in helping him cheat on Maxie, and she was still confused as to how she felt for Lucky. He had could still remember how soft her skin was and the way her lips had tasted.

He could feel the way her hair felt as he touched it gently. He sat down on his bed thinking that it was going to drive him batty if he didn't find out how she felt for him. He wanted to know if she was even a little bit interested. He would wait til she was out of the hospital, and then they would have the conversation.

His mind then drifted to the girl he had seen that day. He thought about her dark hair and grey eyes. Such a strange combination, but intriguing. She walked like she didn't want to draw attention to herself, but she obviously got attention. She had sucked him right in without a single word. He wondered what her voice sounded like when she talked. Where was she from? Why was she there? He lay back on his bed and slowly found himself drifting off to sleep.

He almost threw his alarm clock across the room when it went off five hours later. He had slept hard and dreamlessly which is always a good thing. He liked feeling like he had actually slept instead feeling like he needed more sleep which was how he felt on his long nights at the hospital or writing his paper. He looked forward to getting to Kelly's and enjoying a warm latte and muffin before going into work.

He walked into Kelly's while it was still kind of slow, but he knew it would be picking up soon. He was standing at the counter looking around the room when he saw her sitting at a table to the side. He gave his order to Mike and leaned against the counter as he looked over at her. He thought about whether or not he should go over there and say hello to her. He knew now that she was most definitely new in town, and that would be the polite thing to do. As Mike handed him his latte, Matt observed her body language. Nothing about it said "Leave me alone".

She seemed friendly enough for him to go over to her and introduce himself. He rolled it over in his head for a few minutes before pushing himself away from the front counter, and walking over to her. He walked slowly to calm his nerves that sprang up as soon as he decided to do it. He cleared his throat to keep from startling her too much as he let her know he was standing there. She looked up at him in surprise. He was surprised as well at just how beautiful she really was.

She wore no make-up, and her skin still looked luminous and flawless save for the freckles that were scattered across her cheeks and nose. He found each freckle to be utterly endearing to her. She had her thick, glossy hair tucked behind her ears. Her eyes were grey like a wolves eyes. She was breathtaking. Her lips were a ruby red color despite the lack of lipstick. He could almost see himself kissing those soft lips, which was crazy since he didn't even know her name. He saw that she had small hands that were lying on the table as she sat there.

A shy smile spread across her face as she looked at him, waiting for him to say something to her. He couldn't find his voice. He was not normally a shy guy, but standing in front of her now made him feel like he was. He was searching for the word hello when his cell phone went off in his pocket signaling that he needed to get to the hospital now. He looked at her apologetically before walking away, phone in hand

Karisma

She looked at him as he stared down at her. His eyes were a chocolate color that she had never seen before. She thought they were warm and kind as he looked at her. He looked unsure as to how to begin. He smiled at her. He had one of the kindest smiles she had seen so far up North. It reached all the way to his eyes making them almost mischievous. He looked young. Not as young as her 22 years, but not too much older than her. He had to still be a medical student because he was too young to be an actual doctor.

She wasn't one for facial hair, but she liked the scruffy beard he was growing. His hair was darker than she originally had thought it to be. It was almost as black as ink. It looked so soft, and she had the urge suddenly to run her fingers through it which was crazy because she didn't even know his name.

He looked like he had finally mustered the courage up to say something when his phone went off in his scrub pockets. He smiled what she interpreted to be an apologetic smile and answered his phone. She watched him walk away with feelings of relief and disappointment. She got up and went to the front counter to get a to go coffee, and maybe get some information about him.

"So you must be new in town?" the older man stated after handing the Styrofoam cup of coffee to her.

She added sugar and cream as she answered, "Yes. Um, who was that guy that just left?"

"That would be Dr. Matt Hunter."

She looked at him in surprise, "He is a doctor? He looks too young to be a doctor."

"Not only is he a doctor, but he is a neurosurgeon. A well respected one at that."

She looked down at her coffee as she stirred chewing over what he said in her head. She had to guess that he was at least 10 years older than her, and she had never been one to go out with older guys. A couple years were one thing, but ten years was a lot to her. She was slightly disappointed at this bit of information, but she would just have to think about that another time.

"So what was your name again?" the older man asked seeming to take all of her in now.

"Didn't actually give it yet. It's Karisma."

"Karisma, huh? That's pretty. Never heard that name before. Welcome to Port Charles, I'm Mike."

She smiled, "Nice to meet you, Mike, and thank you. So since we are talking and whatever. I was wondering if you would know any cheap places to rent around here. Right now I am staying at the Metro Court, but it is so expensive to live there on a permanent basis."

He smiled knowingly at her, "Actually, there is somewhere that you could probably afford."

"Really? Where?"

"There are some rooms upstairs for rent. They are pretty nice if I do say so myself."

She felt relief spread through her as she followed him upstairs. This seemed to be a fairly safe area to live, and she would be close to everything here.

"Its 50 bucks a week," he explained to her as she looked around one of the rooms.

"Would I be able to decorate it as I want?" she questioned as she looked out the window, "And is there a room that faces east toward the harbor?"

"Actually yes there is. It's open too. And yes, you can decorate however you want. Just nothing too crazy."

"So no black walls?" she teased.

He laughed, "It wouldn't be the first time someone had painted their room black, it is just really hard to get off the walls."

"Don't worry. I won't paint my room anything crazy. I kind of like the cream color that the walls are painted now. I will take it," she told him after looking out the window facing the harbor.

She told him she would be back in an hour with her stuff and this month's rent. She hurried to the Metro Court, and packed up her belongings. She checked everywhere to make sure she didn't forget anything. She couldn't believe her luck. Kelly's seemed like a pretty nice place to live. She would always have coffee at her disposal. She went to the front desk and found the woman Carly standing behind it.

"Karisma, are you checking out already?" Carly asked pleasantly.

She nodded, "Yeah, I found a place to live so I need to get out of here before I spend all my money before I get working. This place is amazing though. I will miss the comforts that I have had here. There is nothing like this where I lived."

"Where are you staying now?"

"Kelly's. Mike rented a room for me there. So hopefully it will work out okay."

"I am a frequent customer of Kelly's so you will see me there a lot. Good luck with everything," Carly smiled warmly at her.

She couldn't help but smile back, and headed on her way. She walked the short distance with her things weighing her down.

"May I be of service to you?" a voice spoke from behind her.

She turned to see boy standing 2 feet away with a worn brown single strap book bag hanging to the side of him. He was about 5'8 to 5'9, and he had an innocent face.

"Um, sure. Thanks."

"Spinelli or the Jackal, which ever you prefer," he offered as he took her heaviest bag which seemed to be a struggle for him.

She stifled a smile, "Okay, Spinelli. I am Karisma."

"Welcome to our fair city. I don't believe I have ever seen you around here before."

They started walking as she answered, "You are correct. Just moved here. I am truly surprised at how nice everyone seems to be though."

"Well, that all depends on who you have acquainted yourself with. There are plenty of not so nice characters here."

"Oh, well, that sounds promising. Here we are," she told him stopping in front of Kelly's.

He looked and seemed to realize where they were and where she was bringing her stuff to, "Ah, I see you will be staying in this most respectable establishment."

"Yes, I am hoping as much. The price is right and there is a view of the water."

"Are you partial to the watery abyss of our fair city?"

"I am partial to Sunrises. There is something magical about watching the sun come up in the morning," she answered without really thinking about it.

She had never told anyone that before and she wondered why she offered it so freely to a complete stranger.

He smiled sheepishly, "Yes, I could see how that would be magical to behold. I have never paid much attention to it myself, but I will put an effort into paying the utmost attention to it soon."

"You should. Here is my room. Thank you so much for your help, Spinelli."

"May I be so bold as to ask where you are from? I detect a hint of southern in your dialect."

"Yes, I am from the south. I have tried to smother it, but it always seems to show itself when I am not paying attention. I am glad that I met you. I hope to be seeing you again," she smiled warmly at him.

He was a sweet guy. She liked him already. He had a kind heart that radiated from within him.

"I will be looking forward to our next meeting then, Fair Karisma."

She waited til he walked down the hall before she went in. This place wasn't so scary after all. She was sure she had made the right decision to start her life over here.

Matt

Once he made it to the hospital, he was rushed straight into surgery for a head trauma from a motorcycle colliding with an eighteen wheeler. Unfortunately for the motorcyclist he did not win. He died on the table before Matt was even able to stop the bleeding. His day had barely started and he was already ready to go home. He made his way to Elizabeth's room with her test results that would brighten her day. She was going to be able to go home.

He walked in to find her alone which made him happier than he expected.

"Well, hello and good morning, Nurse Webber. I have good news based on your test results. You can go home. You just have to make sure you take it easy, and come back in a couple days for work clearance," he informed her.

He watched as her face lit up like a Christmas tree, "Really, oh, thank God. I am so ready to get the Hell out of here."

"Well, I will go have the nurse prepare your release papers and you will be free of this place. I will be sad because I won't be able to see your smiling face every morning."

He couldn't believe he just said that. She seemed glad that he said it though because she smiled even more at him.

"Well, go get my paper work started. I need to get home and start taking care of my boys."

"Alright, alright. I am going."

He left the room most reluctantly and told the nurse to prepare the paperwork for Liz's release. He went through the rest of his rounds and was making his way back to the nurse's desk just in time to see Elizabeth slowly making her way to the elevators. She had Lulu with her to help her home which he was relieved to see since Lucky was still nowhere to be found. He couldn't wait til Lucky came home because he was going to give that man a piece of his mind about abandoning his children.

"Well, it is good to see you out of that room," he greeted her as she stopped by the desk.

"It is good to be out of that retched room. Thank you so much, Matt. For everything. You saved my life."

"Liz, I always told you I would do anything for you if I could. Now go home and get some rest. Doctor's orders," he insisted.

She playfully saluted him, "Yes, sir. Come by some time. I will make you dinner or something for payment."

"I will hold you to that."

Lulu was watching their interaction with curiosity so he stepped aside so they could leave. He was glad she was going home, but he was regretting that he wouldn't have the excuse to hang out in her room anymore. As soon as Liz was down the elevator he saw Maxie got off. He groaned inwardly because he knew she was there to see him, and he was not looking forward to round two.

"Matt, can I speak with you privately?" she asked none too politely.

"Maxie, I am at work as you can see. I can't just go off with you whenever you want to talk to me."

"Oh, it'll only take few minutes," she insisted pulling him away from the desk.

He reluctantly followed her into the meeting room she pulled him into. He moved as far away from her as possible as she closed the door behind them.

"Okay, make it quick, Maxie."

"Matt, I get it okay. Can you stop you temper tantrum now, and we can get back together. We belong together."

He rolled his eyes and sighed, "I am not throwing a fit, Maxie. This is not just some ploy to make you treat me better. I am really done with this whole thing. I am done pretending that our relationship is real. The only thing real about it is that it is a real joke."

She glared at him, "You don't just get to walk away. We meant something to each other. We were together almost two years. You don't just end things like this and then walk away."

He moved towards the door, "Actually that is exactly what I am doing. I don't see what the big deal is. You have your work, Spinelli, anything else that you are doing to keep you occupied. I am sure once you start realizing that I wasn't that important to you to begin with you will move on. I know I am moving on."

"Matt, I am not just going away!" she exclaimed.

"Well, I am not changing my mind. So just deal with it."

He wrenched open the door abruptly, and walked away. She was going to be the bane of his existence. He threw himself into his work. He didn't want to think about Maxie and the drama that seemed to follow her wherever she went. He was relieved when four hours later he was going home. He was starving and he wanted to stop Liz's. He wanted to make sure everything was going okay for her. He changed into regular clothes and headed to his car. He decided to walk to the piers before going over to Kelly's for something to eat. The sun was setting behind him and the water looked like liquid tar.

He sat down on the bench and sighed audibly. He was tired to his bones yet anxious at the same time. He was always this way after a long, grueling day at the hospital, and then adding Maxie into the mix was just too much for him. He just wanted to go home so he decided to just go home without stopping at Kelly's. He would call Elizabeth once he got home. He wanted to solace of his room to hide away from the world.