Adventures in Babysitting

standard disclaimers don't own GH

She arrived at the Lake House and Alexis opened the door a relieved look on her face.

"Thank you again for coming under short notice. I'm sorry if you had plans."

"The only plan I had involved Audrey Hepburn and a pint of Cherries Garcia."

She bit her lip. She was lying about the fact that she had just moments ago invited Spinelli to come along.

"Alexis."

"Yes Maxie."

"If I were to say hypothetically invite someone over to help me out it would be cool right."

Alexis had a strong suspicion on who this someone was and nodded.

"Molly is asleep for the moment and Kristina is upstairs in her room."

As if on cue the six year old girl came running down the stairs smiling at Maxie.

"Hey Kristina remember Maxie."

Kristina nodded.

"Well mommy has to go to her office for a while and Maxie is going to baby-sit you and Molly is that okay."

She nodded once more giving her mom a hug.

"Ok Maxie all the important numbers are on the fridge along with some money in case you got hungry and wanted to order pizza or something."

Maxie nodded as she watched Alexis leaving. She took a deep breath. This was the first time in a long time she was asked to do something responsible. Responsibility was George's thing, not hers. She bent down to Kristina's eye level and smiled.

"So Kristina what do you want to do first."

"Do you play dolls?"

"I love dolls."

Kristina smiled and led Maxie up to her room.

--

Spinelli nervously got out of his car fumbling with the plastic bags in his hands. He knew this wasn't the ideal first date but at the same time he thought it would be for the better. Just hanging out, no pressure. He removed the beanie from his head putting it in his pocket as he ran his fingers through his messy mop of hair trying to make himself look more presentable. As he made his way to the door he took another deep breath.

'Here goes nothing.' He thought to himself ringing the bell.

--

Maxie was sitting cross legged on Kristina's bedroom floor brushing Ariel's hair while Kristina was dressing a Barbie in some black mini-dress that Maxie wished she could find in real life. The sound of the doorbell caught the two girls off guard.

"Someone's at the door." Maxie said.

"Mommy doesn't like strangers coming in when she's not home."

"I think your Mommy will approve of this stranger." Maxie said in a giggly school girl voice, "now be a big girl and go see if Molly's up."

Kristina nodded and headed to her little sister's room while Maxie came down the steps.

She opened the door to see him dressed in his usual jeans and polo shirt but something was missing.

"Where's your precious lap top Spinelli? I thought you like never leave home without it."

He fumbled a bit trying to respond.

"That is true. But tonight I the-I didn't think I'd need it...anyway I like the new look. You should seriously consider dressing down more often."

Maxie looked down at her simple jeans and t-shirt all the way down to her simple white sneakers. She blushed a little cursing the fact that she didn't have time to run upstairs to change cloths.

"So what's in the bag?"

"You're not going to invite me in."

Maxie stepped aside letting Spinelli enter the house.

"Ok your in. so what's in the bag?"

Spinelli placed the plastic grocery bags on the couch.

"Provisions."

"Provisions."

He reached into one of the bags to pull out an Orange Soda.

"Want one."

Maxie shook her head trying not to giggle as Kristina came back down the stairs holding Molly like a baby doll. Maxie smiled and took the baby from Kristina's hands.

"Greetings Kristina." He said using her name. He had made a goal with himself that he would try to restrain from nick names to prove to Maxie he wasn't the guy she thought he was.

Kristina recognized the young man as the guy who visited her house a few times when her mommy was sick. A guy who frequently hung out with her daddy's partner Jason.

"I remember you...are you Maxie's boyfriend."

Maxie's face turned red from the place in the kitchen where she was feeding Molly. Spinelli meanwhile was being put on the spot by a six year old.

"I...um...the Jackal...Maxie's boyfriend."

"Where just friends Kristina."

Kristina turned toward Maxie then back to Spinelli.

"Oh."

"Anyway I brought some fun DVD's for you. I went to the video store and the guy said that these would be something a little girl would like."

Spinelli then dumped the contents of one of the bags on the floor and out poured a handful of DVD's which Kristina thumbed through.

"Sesame Street, Dora the Explorer, Teletubbies...these are babies movies."

"B-but the guy at the video store said...never mind. So Kristina then what kind of movies does a big girl like you watch."

She grinned at him. It was her father's smile he noticed feeling a bit awkward that he recognized the godfather Sonny Corenthos's smile.

Maxie sat on her chair and giggled a bit.

"What."

"Nothing."

Kristina came running down the stairs handing Spinelli a DVD to put into the player.

"Hannah Montana." He read out loud looking at the picture of some teenage girl in a fake looking blonde wig on the cover of the DVD.

"Yea...it's about this girl Miley who is like this normal girl by day but by night she's this rock star."

Spinelli was intrigued and popped the DVD into the player. Once Maxie was done feeding Molly she headed over to the couch to join her friend and the six year old.

Spinelli had been mindlessly sucked into the comedy while Kristina was dancing aground to the music.

"You get the best of both worlds" Kristina was singing.

--

About three episodes later Molly was asleep again and Kristina began to rub her stomach.

"Maxie I'm hungry."

Maxie had no clue what to cook but she remembered Alexis left pizza money for her.

"Spinelli I'm going to bring Molly upstairs could you order a pizza."

"Alright Maxie."

"And no crazy toppings."

Spinelli gave her a salute causing Kristina to giggle.

Once Maxie was gone Spinelli headed to the phone ordering the pizza. When he hung up he turned to Kristina.

"So any more Hannah DVD's."

"I have a few but I have something you going to love so much better."

"And what is that."

"High School Musical" she said jumping up and down heading to get the DVD.

--

Maxie came back down and watched him sitting alone on the couch sipping his soda.

"Where is Kristina?"

"In her room grabbing another DVD."

"More Hannah."

"Something called High School Musical."

Maxie nodded as Kristina came back.

"Did you miss me Spinelli?"

He smiled at her.

"A bit."

The young girl blushed a bit. Sure she was only six but she was sure she was having her first crush...well second if you counted the one she had on Zac Efron.

She watched him but on the DVD and smiled. Soon the movie began and it was nice and quiet until the first song began.

"This could be the start of something new..."

Maxie looked at Spinelli and Spinelli looked back at her.

"So are you having fun?" Maxie whispered.

"A blast."

-

The movie was halfway over when the pizza guy arrived. Spinelli paid him for the pizza and gave him a generous tip before heading back to the girls.

The trio ate and watched the movie together.

"So did you like it?"

Spinelli nodded.

"I did Kristina. You know that Sharpay is cute...kind of reminds me of someone."

He winked in Maxie's general direction.

"Oh I'm so not anything like Sharpay."

"Whatever." Spinelli said throwing a pillow at Maxie.

"What was that for?" She threw a pillow back causing Kristina to giggle.

"Do I need to call a babysitter for my babysitter?"

Maxie shook her head and looked at the clock. Alexis said Kristina could stay up until she got home unless it was after midnight. It was only 9 PM now so Maxie simply smiled at her charge.

"Why don't you go upstairs and get another DVD while I clean up. I think Spinelli would be interested to know there is a sequel to High School Musical."

Spinelli looked at Maxie stunned.

"And you would know this how."

"I watch E! And all those celebrity shows. High School Musical is like bigger then the Beatles."

Spinelli smiled.

"Who are the Beatles?"

"They were an old musical group."

"Like the Jonas Brothers."

Maxie shook her head trying not to laugh.

"Just ask you mother about them."

Kristina made a mental note to ask her mother about them later as she helped Spinelli and Maxie clean up their mess from dinner.

"I'm getting tired of watching TV I want to play upstairs in my room."

Maxie nodded.

"Can Spinelli come or is it no boys allowed."

"Spinelli can come."

-

They headed up the stairs and entered Kristina's room.

"A pink room. Kristina you know my room is pink too."

She giggled.

"It is."

Spinelli nodded.

"Not my first choice but I was told I couldn't re-paint. It's surprisingly soothing."

"Pink is my favorite color what is yours Spinelli."

He looked into Maxie's blue grey eyes and grinned.

"That would be and icy shade of pale blue...almost a kind of grey and..."

"So Kristina want to play dolls again."

She shook her head as she looked at Spinelli with an evil glare in her eyes.

"I have a better idea..."

--

TBC

I had to leave it at that...