"You are the best big brother in the world." Kristina wrapped her arms around her brother, surprising him during his lunch with Abby. "Thanks again for taking me to the party."
"It wasn't as torturous as I thought it was going to be. Except watching that guy paw at my little sister." Michael sighed, pulling out the chair beside him.
"So you cancelled our date to go to a party." Abby grinned. "Sit down and tell me about the guy."
"I can't tell you about another guy I like." Kristina said pointedly. "You might pretend to sleep with him."
"Ouch." Abby sighed, picking up the fork.
"Krissy, I thought you said you were willing to forgive and forget." Michael put down his coffee cup.
"You. I haven't said anything about forgiving or forgetting her." Krissy pointed out.
"It's OK Michael." Abby sighed. "It's obvious that Kristina isn't really as mature as she wants to be and that's why Ethan won't look twice at her."
"I never took a shot at you." Kristina shook her head. "I did forgive and forget with Michael because he is my brother and I have done things that he's forgiven and forgotten. It will take me a while to trust you because big surprise, I don't like you."
"The feeling's mutual. You're nothing but a spoiled little brat who needs every single thing in this world to revolve around her." Abby rose to Kristina's face.
"And you're nothing but a cheap stripper that has conned my brother into thinking you care about him when all you're after is his money." Kristina shouted back in hers.
"That's enough." Carly declared, walking through the door with Sonny.
"I'm done." Krissy stepped back.
"I see you're no longer brave since your daddy's here to protect you." Abby snarled.
"Think again." Kristina grabbed Abby and started fighting with her. Despite his shock, Sonny leaped and grabbed Kristina while Michael grabbed Abby, holding each other back.
"I said, THAT'S ENOUGH!" Carly yelled. "You, go out back with your father to clean up." She pointed to Kristina. "You, take a walk to cool down." Sonny pulled Kristina towards the kitchen and Carly bore holes into Abby until she grabbed her purse and headed out the door. Michael started to follow and Carly stopped him and sat at the table. "You, sit."
"Mom, come on." Michael sighed. "I should check on Abby."
"Sit, now." Carly demanded. Michael sighed and sat across from his mother. "I tried to warn you that this situation with Abby and Kristina was going to get out of hand."
"I don't know what to do." Michael shoved his hands through his hair.
"Well, before I let you run after Abby because I know that you are going to do; because it's what Jason would have done, I'm going to ask you this. Who started with the first real insult towards the other?" Carly sighed. "Go." Michael took off out the door after giving his mother a long look. Carly sat back and waited for one or the other to come out of the kitchen.
"It's not that I hate her." Kristina spoke first, once she had washed her hands and splashed some cold water on her face. "And it's not that I hate that she's with Michael. It's that she's just so wrong FOR Michael."
"And why do you say that?" Sonny asked, glad his daughter was talking to him.
"It's not the age difference or the life experiences before you start to hope that I'll say that so you can compare anything to me and Ethan." Kristina swore. "It's that she is just plain mean and hurtful. What she did to me only proves it and I'm worried that it won't be much longer until she hurts him."
"I'm glad you want to protect your brother from being hurt." Sonny decided. "But I don't know if he's ready to listen about Abby. He's had just as tough a time as you have."
"I'm not pushing him any more about her. But I wasn't about to sit down and tell her about the guy last night at the party." Kristina scowled.
"Do I get to ask about that?" Sonny sighed. "I don't know the rules of me giving you space."
"I went to a party last night. I took Michael because the last time I went to a party Dante showed up and dragged me home. Michael must have broken a date with Abby to come so she got mad. That's how this all started." Kristina sighed.
"I see." Sonny couldn't help himself. "And the guy at the party?"
"Just some guy." Kristina didn't want to give too much away. "That I'm actually meeting for coffee in a little bit here and I really, really, really don't want to have a scene, so maybe you could go?" She asked hopefully.
"As long as you stay here and don't go anywhere with this guy, I'll agree. Milo will be sitting at the counter too." Sonny shrugged. "That's me, giving you space. Take it or leave it."
"Thank you." Kristina sighed after a minute. "And when I have a break from school and life, I promise, we'll talk."
"I guess I've gotta take it." Sonny shrugged. "Just know that I love you."
"I guess I do know that, somewhere deep deep deep down." Kristina acknowledged, hugging her dad. They headed out to the table where Carly sat.
"Come on, we're going. Kristina has a date and I'm making myself scarce." Sonny told her.
"Are you OK?" Carly asked Kristina.
"I'm OK for now but I will tell you about it later when I get to work." Kristina sighed. "I promise."
"I can't wait to hear it." Carly decided, kissing her cheek. She and Sonny headed out the door and she stopped short, looking at Sonny. "You're really OK leaving?"
"I have to give her space. In my own way. Milo." He turned to the guards. "Go inside and drink coffee at the counter. Watch my daughter like a hawk."
"You got it boss." Milo headed inside.
"I've been looking everywhere for you." Michael came through Abby's apartment door.
"Well, here I am." Abby sighed. "Am I ever going to fit in with your family?"
"Not if you keep provoking my sister like you have been." Michael answered honestly. "Krissy didn't start today, you did."
"Actually, you did Michael." Abby redirected. "If you had of told me the truth about cancelling our date, this wouldn't have happened."
"Maybe not to the extent but then it would have been a fight between us when I told you it was about Krissy. Why do you hate her so much?" Michael demanded.
"I hate her because she had what I never had growing up." Abby sighed, answering honestly. "And I hate that now that I have you, she still has you and comes first in your life."
"Krissy is my sister. Family comes first; my dad always drilled that into my head." Michael reminded her.
"And you want to be just like your father." Abby cried in frustration. "Forget the fact that you have a sweet man like Edward trying to hand you a multibillion dollar corporation; you need to follow your dad into the mob!"
"So this whole thing with Krissy is just a smoke screen because you can't handle what I want to be." Michael saw clearly.
"Not really, but maybe it adds to it since she almost agrees that you should follow your father into the business." Abby sighed.
"See, that's where you are totally wrong about Krissy. Again." Michael sighed. "She was the one who filled in all the paper work for PCU for me and has pushed me to do better at school. She wants me to have nothing to do with our father's business but accepts that I want to and doesn't ride me about it!"
"Well, maybe I can't put up with it any more Michael; I just don't know." Abby sighed, getting up and heading into the bathroom.