CHAPTER ONE

PAIN

TRYING TO REASON WITH THE MOTHER

Olivia lifted her phone to her ear, "Hello Dante." She said with a sigh as she stared at what had been Jason's – sorry Sonny's coffee office. The construction was still going on to get it up and running again – after the fire that she had accidentally got trapped in a few weeks previous.

"When are you coming home ma," Her son's voice said without saying a hello back. "Uncle Vito said that you should have been back like weeks ago."

"Connie still …." Olivia began rubbing her forehead.

"Fuck Cousin Connie." Dante growled into her ear.

"Young man you don't talk like that about your cousin, especially one whom you have never met before." Olivia frowned darkly as her hand tightened on her phone. "I raised you better than that boy."

"Sorry Ma." Dante said in a slightly worried but still fed up voice, "Just Connie doesn't need or want you in Port Charles – so what's keeping you there?"

Olivia leaned against the wall, "Connie." She simply said. "She's family – and I don't abandon my family."

"Ma -" Dante tried once more. More softly and caring, "Connie doesn't want to be part of the family anymore. She had turned her back on the Falcorneri's a long time ago. She never looked back."

"She was just a kid back than, son, from what Sonny has been telling me – she is missing the family." Olivia softly said.

"I don't like the fact that you are staying in the same town as Sonny Corinthos!" Dante's voice harden into lacy steel once more – and Olivia could hear the deep fear that her son had.

"I see that Vito and the rest of the family have been bad mouthing Sonny once more -" Olivia sighed deeply. "Look, I'm fine. I'm quite old enough to take care of myself, you know."

"Like you did when you were caught in Sonny's office during that mysterious fire that got started?" Dante demanded.

"I was in Jason's office," Olivia began, but her son quickly caught her off.

"In Sonny's coffee house!" Dante barked. "Don't give me the cock and bull story that Sonny had gotten out of the mob – that he freely given the organization over to his top hit man, Jason Morgan, i.e. Jason Quatermaine." His laugh was harsh. "He may have wanted to get out – for Connie's sake – but has he remained out, ma?"

"No." Olivia sighed deeply. Her headache grew even worse than before.

"I still don't know why you went to Jason for protection, Ma, all you had to do was get on the fucking plane and come back home." Dante said in an exhaustion voice. "Don't give me the line that you were staying for Cousin Connie's shake – from what I heard about the ice queen, she could have taken care of herself just fine."

"She's family." Olivia said again firmly. "She was shot in the stomach, Dante, I wasn't going to leave her. Not in that state."

"But she has healed now, Ma, she's back at work. She's fine now." Dante said in a hard voice. "She doesn't want or need you there anymore. Your place is here with the family. The family that truly loves and cares for you. Come home Ma." He softly said.

"No." Olivia simply said.

Her son sighed deeply on the phone. "Than I'll come to Port Charles."

"No!" Olivia cried out gripping the phone tightly and her eyes widen in fear. Dante could never come to Port Charles – her son could never set eyes on Sonny. Otherwise the truth would come out and she would have failed on protecting her and Sonny's son from the mob. She couldn't allow that to happen to her child. Her beloved child.

"Why are you trying to keep me from coming to you?" Dante asked in confusion. "This isn't like you, Ma, you normally let me come whenever you are in a extended stay. What the hell is freaking you out so much? Is the Russians still brothering you?" His voice had harden once more.

"The Russians are taken care of. Jason managed to rid Port Charles of them." Olivia said trying to get her thoughts in order once more.

"How many causticities?" Dante asked in a hard firm voice.

Olivia sighed knowing that she couldn't hold back the truth from her son, "I think about five Russians are dead – four of them died after they had kidnapped Jacob Webber. Elizabeth Webber's son. Jason said that Sasha -" Her thoughts went to when the bitch had stabbed her two weeks ago on the docks, "got caught by an unknown bullet."

"Are you ok?" Dante asked.

"Yes, your old mom is right as rain." Olivia lied through her teeth, her hand had gone down to her side – she was still healing from her stab wound.

"Get out of there, Ma." Dante simply said.

"I can't." Olivia said in a soft voice. "Look Dante, I want you to behave and try not to worry about me too much. The danger of the Russians have passed …."

"With the mob controlling the city, the danger is never gone." Dante said in a rough voice.

Olivia sighed darkly, "I'll return home once my business in Port Charles is finished."

"Your business is finished, Ma, Connie does not want you at her side." Dante said in firm but soft voice, "I'm sorry Ma, but you know it's the truth. I don't mean to hurt you, but you fully know that Connie doesn't want you in her face – reminding her about the old neighborhood or the family."

Olivia blinked back the tears that had come to her eyes. "I'm not leaving. I don't abandon my family." She firmly said. "I love you, Dante, I'll talk to you later." With that she lowered the phone and hit END. Slipping the phone into her jacket pocket she shook her head and turned and walked away from the Coffee house.

BENSONHURST, THE OLD NEIGHBORHOOD

Dante Falcorneri slammed his thumb down on the END button of his cell phone, he slammed his hand down on the metal desk. "Damn it all to hell."

"I take it your ma isn't coming back." Vito didn't even have to put it as a question – he very well knew his little sister would not return home – at least not until she had Connie by her side – or at the very least getting Connie to point of realizing that she needs her family and too drop the whole Kate Howard routine. Vito knew that his cousin Connie would never come back to them – he had finally given up on that idea fifteen years ago. But Olivia never gave up the hope or prayers.

"She refuses to believe the truth, that Connie doesn't want or need her anymore. That Connie has chosen to cut her completely out of her life for all good. That their childhood closeness is over and done with. That Connie never actually and truly loved her." Dante felt tears come to his eyes. Tears of frustration at how stubborn his mother could be, and tears of pain knowing that his mother would be heartbroken once the truth finally hits her. He didn't want her to be alone when it did. He had to find a way to get his mom home, or get to Port Charles to be at his mom's side.

"Olivia has always held firm belief that her family would always be there for one another – all of them. She never truly believed that Connie wanted completely out. That Connie never loved her family." Vito said with a sigh. "Olivia just knew and believed that Connie would come back to her senses and come home."

Dante barked in harsh laughter.

"So Olivia is back in Sonny's arms," Vito said rubbing his hands on his jaw.

"Never. Ma would never bed him again." Dante said in a hot voice, his hand coming down on the desk once more.

"I'm not too sure about that, Dante, I'm just not too sure about that." Vito had a sad look in his eyes. "He broke her heart, when he went after Connie." Anger laced his voice, "It had always been Connie whom he been after – only reason why he went after Olivia, was too get close to Connie. Olivia had fallen for him – hard – she still isn't over him."

"She knows better than to try to get him back, she doesn't like his way of life. Never had. She dumped his ass when he got too deep in with Joe Sculley." Dante said firmly.

"She dropped him when she finally had enough of him using her to get to Connie." Vito said. "If it was her that Sonny truly wanted – than Olivia would have given up her views on gangsters – just so she could be with him. She loved him that much. She loves him that much."

Dante stood up and went to the wall and slammed his fist into it. "How dare he hurt my mother!" Another fist followed – than another and another. Soon Dante Falcorneri was worked up into a sweat and the wall had major dents in it.

Vito just silently watched his nephew work off his frustrations. It would do no good trying to stop Dante, he would just get beaten up. He would just wait for Dante to wear himself out.

KATE HOWARDS MANSION

Jax walked into Kate's living room – to find Kate standing with her back against the fire place with a glass of wine in her hands. "Hello Kate." He firmly said with a deep frown on his face.

Kate's right eye brow rose - "What brings this harsh note in your voice?" her lips pursed before she took a sip from the glass.

"I heard about what you said to Olivia – the night of the party – in front of Lulu and Maxi." Jax said in a dark voice. "How could you treat your cousin – whom you haven't seen in twenty five years like that, Kate? Also in front of witnesses." He folded his arms across his chest tightly.

"Carly had simply humiliated me wearing the same dress. Olivia had a high time amusing herself at my expense." Kate said in a hard firm voice. "I lost my temper when she butted in my dealing with Lulu for telling Carly about my dress -" holding up a firm hand, "I don't care how much Maxie is covering; I know it was Lulu who had told Carly about the dress."

"That doesn't give you an excuses for ripping into your cousin in front of anyone." Jax's voice rose in anger.

"If Olivia had just kept her mouth shut and allowed me to dress my employee down – than my anger wouldn't have been topped off by her remarks." Kate stubbornly said. "She just kept going and going – saying how if the family were there that night – they would have been rolling over at the humor of me showing up in a dress that someone else was wearing and what the public had seen first." Her checks grew warm.

"How dare you say the things you said to her – in front of other people," Fire leaped up into his eyes, "How dare you say the things you said to her at all. My God, Kate, the things you said in anger that night are things that children say to one another – not adults. You hurt her."

Kate's heart dropped. She fully knew that she had hurt her cousin that night, "Yeah, right, of course. Of course, you're going to see it that way because, you know, you never really made anything of your life." (GH 12-08-08) The look in Olivia's eyes before she left her would haunt her for the rest of her life. Kate wished that she could take back those words. But they were out there and there was no turning back time. She just had to push the scene to the back of her heart, lock it up with the rest of her memories that she didn't want to deal with in her life and move on.

"She'll be fine. We had worse fights before." Kate said lifting her glass up to her lips and took a sip.

Jax lips pursed forward. "How can you be so cold to your own family?" He shook his head, "I understand Carly, but I just don't understand …."

The glass lowered and anger laced Kate's voice, "How I treat my cousin is my own business Jax, it's a family matter after all. Not the entire world needs to know about it."

"You treat your cousin like shit, Connie, worse then shit." Jax lost his temper and yelled.

"Kate." Kate simply said.

Jax blinked.

"My name is Kate." Kate said in a hard voice.

Jax just stared into Kate's face and than turned and stormed from the house. Kate's shoulders jerked backwards at the slamming of her front door. She lifted her glass once more and took a sip of the wine, she fought all the emotion that had come rushing up – she had to get control of herself once more – the control that she had trained herself too do in her freshmen year at Princeton.

THE HAUNTING STAR

Olivia walked down the stairs into the empty gambling house. "How can you make money if you keep this place empty?" She smirked as she walked up to the bar where Luke was standing pouring a glass of Jack Daniels in it.

"Want one?" Luke asked looking steadily into her eyes.

Olivia raised her left eye brow, "Do you even have to ask?" She sat down on the stool in front of her. Luke slid the glass over to her, she picked it up and took a long swing from it. Lowering the glass she looked around the room, "So is the card game still going on? We never did finish it after all."

Luke smiled thinning, "You want to win more of my money, hmmm." He hadn't forgotten that night when she had come in and pretty much won most of his money from him – if he hadn't had Jax to fall back on – than he would have lost a lot of money that night.

Olivia grinned. "You know it." She took her coat off and put it on the stool next to her. "So start dealing."

"Not tonight, sweetheart." Luke sadly shook his head. "Without Jax it's no fun."

Olivia tighten up. "We don't need Jax here to have a good time." She raised her right eye brow.

Luke read what he had to read in the younger woman's eyes. If he wasn't so crazy about Tracy than he would have gladly taken Olivia Falcorneri up on her offer. He knew that she would be simply be wonderful in bed. He sighed as he let the temptation go. "Sorry, but I'm happily married."

Her head tilted to the side, "I hear that Tracy kicked you to the curb."

"That's the games that we play with one another. We love the struggle and the fights – but at the end of the day we always come back to one another." Luke said lifting his glass to his lips and drunk from it. He lowered it back down onto the bar.

Olivia leaned forward suddenly and grabbed his shirt front – pulling him closer to her she met his surprised mouth with her own. Closing her eyes she slipped her tongue into his mouth, her free hand lifted to the back of his head and she pushed him even closer into the kiss.

Luke was off his guard – so he returned her kiss. He couldn't help it. The woman had her tongue down his throat. He couldn't think with his head and heart any more – it had been simply ages since a young woman had thrown herself at him. His eyes closed and he just enjoyed the kiss – allowing her to deepen the kiss.

Olivia put all the passion and all the hurt feelings she had into the kiss. It wasn't even Luke Spencer she was kissing – it was Sonny Corinthos. It had always been Sonny whom she kissed and made love too, since the day she dumped him. The man in her minds eye today was no longer the younger version of Sonny – no it was replaced for all time with the grown man Sonny. She smelt his smell and that just made her deepen the kiss.

Luke finally got control of himself, he put his arms on her shoulders and pulled her away from him – her eyes jerked open. "Sorry dear," He breathed in quick. "But, like I said before I'm happily married."

Olivia blinked rapidly as Sonny's image slowly went away and replaced it self with Luke Spencer's image. She jerked away from him and jumped from the stool. She turned and rushed towards the stairs – running up them towards the front door. She had to get out of there.

The moment the doors slammed shut – Tracy stepped out from the corner she had hidden behind on walking in and seeing Luke in another woman's arms. "At first I thought you knew I was here and you set this up with that …." She paused, "With Olivia." She looked her husband in the eyes, "But I know that you were taken by surprise." She walked up and put both her hands on the bar and leaned forward. "So was she a good kisser?"

"She wasn't kissing me." Luke said with a shrug as he looked towards the stairs where Olivia had rushed up. "She left without her coat. She's going to freeze."

"From what I saw, I bet she'll be warm enough to get back to the hotel." Tracy said with a shrug. "Don't worry about it."

Jax stood at the top of the stairs, "Did I miss something?" His right eye brow rose high on his forehead.

"Just Olivia Falcorneri putting the moves on my husband." Tracy said still with her eyes on her husband.

"Oh." Jax walked down the stairs with a deep frown on his face and his eyes shoved close together.

"It wasn't me that she was kissing." Luke said, "She rushed out of here without her coat."

Jax looked down and saw Olivia's coat on the stool, he picked it up. "I'll talk to you later about this, Luke," He turned and rushed towards the exist with Olivia's coat over his right arm.

Tracy and Luke looked at each other and raised their eye brows.

THE PARK

Olivia wrapped her arms around her self as she felt the cold wind pushing against her jeans and long blue cotton shirt. Shit. She forgot her coat at the Haunting Star! Great just great. Well she couldn't go back there – not after humiliating herself in front of Luke Spencer. Shit. It was a long walk back to the Metro Court. And she didn't have much money left for a taxi. Good one Olivia Falcorneri! Where is your spirit girl, you usually know how to leave gracefully with a warm coat, and with enough money on you whenever you stop seeing Sonny. Now here you are freezing your ass off because you are too embarrassed to go back and get your jacket. Smooth girl, just smooth. She just prayed that she wouldn't run into anyone … Sonny mainly …. otherwise she would know that he would take it upon himself to remind her that she was still recovering from her stab wound and that it wasn't wise to run around in Port Charles in winter without a decent coat on. She wasn't up to have another round of smartassing with Sonny Corinthos that night. She was still too upset to think straight – if Sonny would be in her face than she would lose control and throw herself into his arms. She couldn't take the rejection that she fully knew he would give her.

Her side had began to hurt the moment she had rushed out of the Haunting Star, she had broke into a run after her feet hit the pavement and she rushed heedlessly along – not knowing where she was going. She was still trying to figure Port Charles out, when suddenly she felt her side ache and she had to stop running. She was in the park in a clearing where benches were lined up on either side of her. She made her way over too one and sat down, wincing in pain as she did so. Her hands went to her side – where her wound was still healing. She felt wetness – and she knew it wasn't sweat. She looked down and saw blood oozing out and into her shirt. "Shit." She hissed through her teeth. She had ripped out some of the stitches that Patrick had sworn into her not a week ago. She was going to get them removed the following day – well after this latest stunt of hers – it looked like Patrick would have to re – stitch her up for at least another week. Shit.

She couldn't go back to Sonny's – not with the bitch of a wife that Sonny has living there. Perhaps she could make it to Patrick's – no that won't happen. One she doesn't know where he lived and two he just got married. She was sure that he would be very upset if she just dropped by on his somewhat honeymoon. She had a feeling that his wife; Robin; would be ticked off. But how was she going to get her side stitched up again – no one knew of her condition – expect for Patrick, Sonny and Claudia. She couldn't go to the hospital – otherwise Connie would find out – than Dante would find out. She couldn't allow that too happen – Dante would be on the next plane to Port Charles – and Olivia couldn't have her son any where near his father – Sonny – ever.

The pain suddenly was too much and her back jerked back as as she bit her tongue. Suddenly arms wrapped themselves around her and she was picked up into strong arms. "I'll get you to Patrick, hold onto me." She passed out in pain.

THE DRAKES' APARTMENT

Robin opened the door too Sonny with Olivia in his arms. She quickly stepped aside and allowed her friend to enter – she watched as he gently bent down and put Olivia onto her couch. She hurried over and looked down and saw what the problem was. "Patrick!" She quickly called out over towards the closet which was their daughter's, Emma's, room was located.

The door opened and Patrick walked out. His eyes widen at the sight of an unconsciousness Olivia Falcorneri on his couch. He rushed over and saw the blood on the side of her where she had been stabbed not a week before. "Get my bag, Robin." He said in a steady and calm voice. He knelt down and gently checked Olivia's status, "Her pulse is rapided – but that's normal, after she had ran for a bit." He took the stereophonic that Robin had silently handed him,. He quickly put it in his ears and held the metal piece against Olivia's heart, "Heart beat is skipping between beats." He tore the stereophonic away from him.

He turned and was relieved to see everything that he would need all ready at hand. He quickly washed his hands and waited for Robin to put the gloves onto his hands. He watched as Robin cut the front of Olivia's shirt – they couldn't risk to lift it over her head, the blood was coming much to fast and spreading. Robin washed her own hands quickly and put her gloves on. She handed Patrick the cloth and watched as he began to clean around the wound – but he couldn't keep up with the flowing of blood.

"Damn it – she had torn all the stitches away." Patrick murmured in an angry voice. "Sonny, I need you to wash your hands, I need you to try to keep the blood away from the wound, I need to get in there and stitch her up – otherwise Olivia will bleed to death."

Sonny quickly and silently washed his own hands and put on the gloves that were lying next to the basin, he watched as both Patrick and Robin tore off their bloody gloves and rewashed their hands – after they put on fresh gloves they set to work.

Sonny bent his head and kept his focus on keeping the blood from the stab wound. His eyes had widen in shock as he saw how deeply Sasha truly did stab Olivia – when Olivia and Patrick had arrived at the mansion last week – he didn't see how deeply how truly how long the stab wound truly was. What he saw broke his heart and made his anger rise once more.

Patrick set to work to fixing the damage that had happened from when he had first stitched Olivia up – his gloves were soon so bloody that he knew that he had to change them once more – just he could even begin stitch her up. "Sonny I need you to hold down on her wound. Robin and I needed to get fresh gloves – I don't want any risks taken with Olivia's blood."

Sonny nodded and pressed as firmly as he could against the wound while Patrick and Robin quickly did what they had to do to change their gloves. He only removed his hands when Patrick had the needle ready to begin.

Patrick quickly started to stitch Olivia up – with tight even stitches. "She's going to have a scar. I can't help it this time – at least the scar will be small."

"She'll quite enjoy the battle scar." Sonny said. "Even through no one in her family will ever see it." He breathed easier as the last stitch was put in place and Patrick snipped the left over thread with a pair of scissors.

Patrick looked up into Sonny's eyes, "She needs to be in the hospital."

Sonny shook his head. "You heard her before, no hospitals." He put his hand to cover her own which was lying on the top of the couch. "Is it possible to move her back to my mansion?"

Patrick sighed and shook his head, "The only way I would allow Olivia to be moved is too the hospital."

"It's that bad than?" Sonny looked into Patrick's eyes in slight shock.

"She lost a lot of blood, Sonny, more so than the first time." Patrick said as he rushed his hands in the all ready bloody water. "The first time I so happened to be on the dock when it happened, so I could stop the bleeding as best as I could. I got her to your place as quickly as I could. How long did it take you to get here."

"Ten minutes." Sonny sighed. "I don't know how long she was on that bench bleeding, but when I arrived she was far gone and almost unconsciousness. I managed to put my arms around her and lifted her, and told her that I was going to get her to you, when she passed out." He licked his lips. "She would simply kill us if we checked her into the hospital."

"It is for her own good, Sonny." Robin gently.

"You don't know Olivia Falcorneri, Robin, she would simply raise hell on earth for checking her into the hospital. She doesn't want her family to know that she was stabbed due to the Russians. After the fire at the coffee house – she's afraid that the entire Falcorneri family will come swooping to Port Charles." Sonny sighed.

"She's in no condition to be off on her own -" Robin said with a firm shake of her head. "She can't be moved from here – unless it's to a hospital."

Olivia weakly lifted her hand and touched Sonny's right side of the check – he had sat down next to her after Patrick and Robin were finished stiching her up. Sonny turned his head and looked down into her weakly and blury eyes. "You need to rest." He softly said.

"No hospitals." She weakly said.

Sonny read everything he had to read in her eyes, "No hospitals." He promised.

"No family." She whispered.

"Olivia -" He began.

"No family." She firmly said trying to sit up, and crying in pain.

Sonny quickly leaned forward and put his arms around her and got her back against the couch, he felt her trying to fight him but not managing. He finally felt her body give out and he leaned back. Still with his arms around her, "No family." He promised softly looking into her eyes.

Olivia relaxed and closed her eyes. She fell asleep.

Patrick and Robin had watched silently the interaction between the two old friends. They looked at each other and simply nodded. "She can have our bed to recover in." Robin said.

Sonny wrapped his arms around Olivia and gently picked her up and followed Robin into the bedroom. He gently and carefully helped her get Olivia changed into one of Robin's night growns. It was short – due to Olivia being taller than Robin; but it would do for that night. Sonny would bring some of Olivia's clothes over the next day.

Robin walked from the room leaving Sonny alone, she found Patrick trying to clean up the couch. "Is there too much blood?"

"Nothing that won't come out. I just don't want the stain to set." Patrick said looking up from his work, "We'll just use the other side."

"Thanks for letting Olivia stay here. I know that the pull out isn't what you planned for our little honeymoon." Robin said as she began to pick up the supplies that they had used to stich up Olivia.

"That way when Emma cries we can reach her that much quicker." Patrick said with a soft smile over at the cloest door.

Sonny walked out of the bedroom, "If I could, I would have Olivia back at my place."

"If she doesn't go the hospital – she doesn't get removed." Patrick said firmly. "Sides I don't want her around Claudia right now. She wasn't all too thrilled to have her as a house guest the last time."

Sonny frowned darkly. "I'll be speaking to Claudia about her behavior. I shouldn't have allowed Olivia to leave until she was completely healed." He walked to the door – turning around, "I'll be back tomower with some of her things. Thank you again for allowing her to stay here. I'll repay you."

"You don't owe us anything." Patrick firmly said.

Sonny nodded and turned and left the apartment.

END CHAPTER ONE

Authors Note: Ok for the flow of this story Olivia's stabbing had happened just right before Christmas. So Patrick and Robin are married and it's two days before New Years Eve. The Russians have been taken care of quickly by Jason. The rest of the story should flow with the GH's storyline now.