Julian had felt like he'd been taken through the ringer as they'd wanted to make sure they'd taken enough marrow out of him along with some special type of cells to transplant into Danny.

Anything for his grandson and Silas told him he'd be back to normal in several weeks. Just in time to launch his preemptive strike against Sonny and his operation. His newspaper had ran a story about how Sonny had been devastated by Connie's murder and had gone on a rampage waving a gun and screaming at A.J. Quartermaine who now sat inside a jail cell facing murder charges.

He sipped his juice which he'd been advised to drink. Whoever had killed Connie…he knew it couldn't be A.J. had neutralized one of the players at ELQ. That helped their cause though it didn't help Connie that she'd been shot to death inside one of his offices.

The police said that she'd died soon after getting shot and that Sonny Corinthos had shown up followed by Olivia and Alexis who'd driven her over there after she'd freaked out at GH.

His phone rang and he answered it. He'd hoped it'd be news on whether or not Danny would be receiving the marrow transplant. The chemo had wiped out all the cancerous cells but left him vulnerable to infections.

A very dangerous times for the little boy.

He'd go to the hospital later today to check in on his family. Ava might have convinced him not to reveal his identity but she couldn't stop him from spending time with them as a friend. He'd promised that to Sam and Danny.

"So you running the story on the Falconi murder," he said, "and A.J. Quartermaine's arraignment? First page….by the time we go to press tonight…"

Ava sashayed into the office while he was on the phone. She'd been so relieved to leave the mansion what with her daughter acting like the drama queen and her husband looking so delicious coming out of the shower wrapped up in a towel.

She liked them young nothing wrong with that. Yes, she was planning along with her brother and the others to take over PC but that didn't mean she couldn't have her…diversions as well.

"Well the police still believe that A.J. Quartermaine killed Connie…"

He glanced at Ava who smiled at him.

"No…I think the Franco story needs to go after the obits."

Ava paced the floor waiting impatiently.

"I need you to check you into rumors that Jerry Jacks is still alive…picked up some intel from a source that Luke Spencer's looking for him somewhere on the other side of the world."

Ava rolled her eyes. She knew that some people never stayed dead but her brother didn't need to go off track looking for a Lazarus who had nothing to do with their strategy and its success. With reinforcements coming in soon…oh, the glee that filled her right now when the others started moving into position.

Finally he got off the phone and looked at her.

"Ah, sis to what do I owe this pleasure?"

She sat down in a chair opposite of him.

"What's this about helping Carly with the Metro Court? You know she's got ties to Sonny. Big ties."

He leaned back in his chair.

"Of course I know that but the hotel's pivotal to the plan. By the time we have controlling interest."

Ava's eyes lit up and she smiled.

"I see….that'll work. Oh, I can't wait until we get started. We've been waiting so long…"

Julian just looked at his sister knowing she'd wanted it much longer than he did. She'd bristled when their father had been alive way back when the men had run everything that was interesting.

"But what's this with Jerry Jacks? He's not part of our game plan and even if he's not really dead, he's psycho and I don't think you want to go waking up a sleeping lion…especially if he's not all there."

Julian wondered the same thing about Ava sometimes…whether she'd gotten the same trait as the other sister.

"We don't know who he's working for," he said, "or his agenda. That's what I want to find out…just in case he shows up on the canvas and interferes with our plans."

Ava appeared to consider that but she was no dummy. Still…

"It seems like Alexis Davis is the only one who can handle him," she said, "The PD should just hand the whole affair over to her if he does come back."

Julian sighed.

"No. She's focusing on her family and Danny's still got a ways to go before he'll recover."

Ava chuckled.

"You mean your little family…I'll tell you something about impromptu revelations about missing relatives…they're a diversion neither of us need. We've got a job to do, others are depending on that."

"I know that…"

He really didn't need a lecture to her. He was as committed to the plan as she was…though that didn't mean he'd be walking away from his family. Sam, Danny and Alexis though he was still trying to figure her out.

"If this hobby of yours gets in our way…"

He leaned forward staring at her in that way of his that few questioned.

"Ava…I will tell you once. What's mine is not your concern…and you best not make it so."

His sister didn't respond to that, she just shook her head at him and walked out of his office.

Alexis woke up in the damn chair at the hospital where the Davis Girls minus Kristina lived these days. Molly and Rafe had arrived this morning with breakfast burritos made by Mac for all of them. He was so sweet. Sam had gone to check on Spinelli who had not been himself since Maxie gave birth to Lulu and Dante's newborn.

She'd heard that Sonny had gone on a bender of sorts and an assortment of enablers were chasing after him. She sighed, knowing that it'd just make it worse when Sonny got like this…he needed to sort out his own messy life like she'd had to deal with hers.

Connie had been a blip in his life or so she thought, not that she paid much attention. She and Sonny managed to be civil for the most part because they focused on their roles as the parents of a beautiful daughter produced by their one night stand. It'd been damn difficult to be pregnant and alone except for Ned that time but at least she'd kept her baby.

Holding Kristina after pushing her out into her new world had been so damn difficult and it'd scared her too. She'd flashed back to another time when she'd only gotten to hold another dark haired baby girl briefly before having her taken away from her.

Then Mikkos through her surrogate aunt had told her that the baby had died not long after…and just disappeared from her life like a memory. No grave, no memorial just nothing except a death certificate she found later to prove she'd even existed at all.

She had thought about the boy who'd fathered that baby though her memories had already dimmed, his name first. But she knew that when it came to men fathering children, they could just walk away from them or leave them with their mothers in some life they visited once in a while.

Gifts on holidays. Occasional stolen time away from the real families. Fathers could always leave, mothers just stayed until they died.

"Mom…"

She blinked her eyes and looked and saw Sam there.

"Silas said they're getting ready to give him Derek's marrow."

Alexis smiled.

"Oh that's great honey," she said, "I know it's going to work…"

Sam bit her lip.

"Silas has been real great…for Danny. I just don't know if I'm ready for…you know after I kissed him."

Alexis nodded.

"There's nothing wrong if you feel something for him…it's human and he seems like a nice person…and he does care about your son. Anyone can see that."

"I know but I thought after all this time I had this relationship thing figured out and…"

Alexis laughed.

"Oh honey, you never figure it all out. That's just life. Men can be so…."

"Confusing…where they keep you off balance with just a look…some words…"

A kiss. Well two of them actually.

Alexis shrugged.

"Try walking in on a stranger while he's wearing just his briefs."

Sam's eyes furrowed.

"When was this?"

Alexis sighed, brushing a strand out of her face.

"Yesterday with Derek…before the procedure…"

Sam made one of her faces.

"Wow…"

Alexis paused.

"Yeah…wow…."

Silas walked up to both of them and they turned their attention to him eagerly.

"It's a go…the chemo did its job and it's time to transplant him."

Sam smiled widely.

"Oh god, finally…"

Silas pursed his lips.

"This is the most risky part of the procedure because it's going to take some time for the marrow to do its job so he can still get sick easily…we're going to have to continue with the precautions."

Sam looked at her mother then back at him.

"Okay…we can do that. I just want him to get better…I want it to work."

Silas smiled. Sam really liked it when he did that.

"I think it's looking very good so far. Danny's a fighter…"