Natalie sat there nervously at the table at Rodi's waiting on Liam. She'd talked with Bo earlier-he had admitted to John giving him the medal. He wouldn't give her a timeline on when-just said it was after John had told her to move on. Which she had-she smiled inwardly-the marriage she had with Carter had been nice. It wasn't first love like with Christian, or unexpected love like with Jared. It was something different-falling into a rhythm of partnership and parenthood. She had found the father and love that John had asked of her-and yet, she wasn't surprised when it fell apart.

Glancing over at the pool table she thought of the irony of having this conversation with Liam right where he was conceived. Looking up she smiled at him as he came through the doors and wound his way to her, "Hey sweetie. Good day at work?"

"Yeah, quiet-but good. What's going on?"

"I found out some more information about this," she said as she held the medal out. "And I want to talk to you about it."

"Uhm, ok."

"I gave this to your dad-John-a long time ago. She's the patron saint of lovers," she said with a laugh and eye roll. "But I think it's time I tell you the story of your dad. The real, full story. You are old enough to know now."

"Mom, stop. I already know everything I need to know about the great, John McBain," he said with sarcasm.

"What?"

"I know I look like him. That he's an FBI agent and grew up in AC like you. The most important thing I know about him is he's a deadbeat. That he walked out on us and never looked back. I don't need to know any more."

Natalie heard the anger in his voice-and though he would argue with her at the moment, she could hear John loud and clear in it, "Yes, you do. I'm going to reach out to your Uncle Michael and get your dad's number."

"Stop calling him that. Carter is my dad-not McBain."

"Do you know that Carter wanted to do a step-parent adoption for you? For you to share the same last name as us and your siblings? I told him no because I wanted you to have pride in your last name. In who you are-in who your dad was to me and others. I guess I failed you on that part," she said as her eyes showed with tears.

Liam jumped back at the thought of her failing him, reaching out he took her hand and grabbed it tight. "You've never failed me, mom. Just him," he said as he gave her a kiss on the cheek before leaving.

As Liam made the way from Rodi's back to the station he thought about his mom's words on contacting John McBain. He didn't want to talk to the man-and no matter how much he told his mom that he knew she wouldn't listen. But maybe he could tell the other half of the party he wasn't interested. Maybe that half wasn't as stubborn.

By the time he'd made it to the station he had a plan and bypassed the bullpen-going straight for Matthew's office. Tapping on the door, he wondered how many times their fathers had done this. He'd been told by multiple people of the working relationship John McBain and Bo Buchanan had, but he'd never realized it until just now how it was a mirror of that with him and Matthew. At hearing him say it's open he walked in and closed the door behind him.

Matthew looked up and realized something was bothering him, "Hey-what's going on?"

"I need to use station resources to run a background check and want you to be aware first."

He laughed at the request, "Ok. I'm taking it this isn't for a case or you wouldn't be asking. Who is it on?"

"John McBain."

Matthew was shocked, he hadn't heard of that name in years until last night. It was Destiny who brought him up when he told her about the envelope. She had known immediately if it was something that Bo was holding for Natalie it had to be connected to John. "The envelope yesterday?"

"Was something between the two of them. Mom tried to explain it to me, but I brushed her off."

"Your dad is a good man, Liam. I don't know the whole story of why he left-I was twenty years old with a newborn and had a grudge for having to be a young parent."

"He's not my dad-that's Carter. A good man doesn't abandon his child and the woman he supposedly loves though, does he? Even when Drew was young you didn't get up and leave."

Matthew shook his head, he knew the way he had treated Drew and Destiny was wrong back then. For him it was luckily all in the past. "Ok, so what happens when you get an address or number-or whatever it is you think you are going to find by running a background on him."

"Maybe I'll finally get answers to who the man I share a last name with really is."

Natalie walked up to the doorway and tapped on it before walking in, "Hey, you busy?"

"For my sister-never," smiled Jessica from the other side of her desk at The Banner. "What's the occasion?"

Natalie sat down on the couch across from her sister and closed her eyes, "Liam and I got into an argument earlier."

"Wow-really?" said Jessica in surprise. The relationship her sister had with her oldest was so strong she never thought they had argued over anything. "About what?"

Natalie reached into her purse and pulled out the medal. The weight of it seemed to be getting heavier as the day wore on. She was hoping maybe talking it out with her sister could lighten it some, "This."

Jessica walked around the desk and took it in her hands, flipping it a few times, "Who is she?"

"St Dwynwen. I gave her to John after the accident-to replace the St Jude medal. She is to look over the hopes and dreams of true lovers. Though-honestly-she never really did us much good," she laughed at the end. "He took her with him when he went to Port Charles."

"How did she get back here now?"

"Bo had her-he didn't want to tell me all the details. Just said that he'd seen John one last time after we broke up and John gave it to him to hold on to. He'd left it in his desk drawer at work-Matthew found it yesterday when he was setting up and sent it to me through Liam."

"So you had to tell Liam it was from his dad. You've never really told him much about, John. Or brought him up either-before or after Carter." She'd been living in London when Natalie and John had separated so she wasn't around to see whatever the final break was. All she knew was when she made it back to Llanview John McBain was long gone and she rarely heard her sister say his name. For someone who had been a part of her life for so long it was almost as if he never existed.

"Yeah, and I realized it's time to fix that. I figured if it was safe for John to give this to Bo-."

"Safe?" interrupted Jessica, her curiosity of his leaving growing.

"There are circumstances as to why he never came back-one's that only myself, Bo, and Michael know about. More than the kiss in Port Charles and the restraining order courtesy of dad. Things that he asked me to not tell anyone-including you. I'm sorry, Jess," she said, hating to keep a secret from her sister.

"I told Liam I think it's best we reach out to John. So, we can talk about everything that happened-and maybe heal. And he lost it. He gets his temper from John," she said with a dry laugh.

"He says he doesn't care what John has to say-or his side of the story. But a part of me does. There are some questions I don't know the full answer to. And I think it's time we get them."

"How are you going to get in contact with John? Do you know where he is now?"

"No, but Michael should," she said as she began to mentally prepare herself for this conversation.