Spinelli looked up at the sounds of his partner's heels, as Sam entered the offices of McCall and Jackal P.I. "Greetings, Fair Samantha. How was supper on Spoon Island?"

"Very interesting, actually. This building has officially changed hands."

"Come again? The land belongs to the Quartermaine family. If you recall, Tracy is taking the utmost pleasure in holding this unfortunate fact over my head, seeing as the upper apartment functions as my living quarters."

"I know, but you don't need to worry about losing your home anymore. My uncle bought the deed from Tracy in my name."

"His Headship is most generous and benevolent. So I suppose you're my…my landlady now."

"That's a scary thought. How about we agree to exchange rent for babysitting duties."

"Spending the occasional day with The Wee One would be a great honor."

"Deal." Sam reached across the desk to shake Spinelli's hand. "All that really matters is that we are out from under Tracy Quartermaine's thumb."

"A joyous day indeed."

"Any new clients?"

"Negative, only more inquiries into the past of The Allegedly Bloodthirsty One. The police would like to know if there should be credence given to the accusations made by Lucy Coe."

Sam sighed. Personally, she wouldn't even listen to the allegations of a woman who staked a police officer under the influence of those same delusions, but Anna Devane was the only one paying for their services at the moment, and money was money.

"You can handle that for today, can't you?"

"I am certainly up to the task of completing some routine background checks," Spinelli assured her. "Do you have something more pressing in nature to do? Is it the Wee One?"

"More personal than pressing, at least I hope so. Don't worry this has nothing to do with Danny. He's perfect."

"Good. Well, in that case, I wish you the best of luck in your endeavor, whatever it is. I'm off to a follow-up meeting at Kelly's, and then to the PCPD to brief Her Commissionership. Farewell."

"Bye, Spinelli."

Once alone in the office, Sam made quick work of unearthing the large phonebook, and leaved through its pages until she found the number for the local cell service provider. She dialed, and waited a frustratingly long amount of time for someone on the other end of the line to pick up. When a man finally answered, she tried to keep the exasperation out of her voice.

"Yes, maybe you can help me. My name is Samantha Morgan, I'm a private investigator licensed in Port Charles, New York… I was wondering if you could point me to the recent cell phone records of a woman by the name of Kristina Corinthos-Davis, and by recent I mean as of yesterday, if that's at all possible…Well, I'm working in conjunction with the Port Charles branch of Mason, Petrovitch, and Miller law firm, and I assure you I wouldn't be asking for the information if it weren't pertinent to our investigation…I'm sorry, sir, it's an ongoing investigation, I'm not at liberty to discuss the details…yes I understand you need a subpoena to release that information. Thank you for your time. Thank you for nothing!" she growled to the dial tone.

If Sam were honest with herself, she knew that any serviceman who gave up information to some random Joe who asked for it—even a Joe with Sam's credentials—would have to be a Grade A idiot. There were other ways to get what she wanted, but they were a lot riskier…and would apparently have to wait until she answered the five missed calls from Danny's nanny.

0o0o0o

"Oh, I know, baby, I know." Sam crooned as she bounced her disgruntled son on her hip to very little effect "Mommy's going to make it all better, I promise." She banged on the lake house door once again. "Come on, I know it's the middle of the day, but somebody open up."

"Sam? What in the world?"

"Mom! Thank God you're working from home. I was about to pick the lock."

"Why on earth would you do that? You have a key."

"That I realized I left at the penthouse about three seconds after the nanny dropped my screaming baby off at McCall and Jackal."

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh."

"Let me see." Alexis opened her arms to accept her grandson. "You are not happy are you, sweet boy? No wonder, he's burning up. I think—" Alexis stroked Danny's cheek, until he opened his mouth with an accompanying wail. "—Thank you so much. Uh-huh, new teeth coming in on the bottom."

"Poor thing." Sam leaned in, and kissed her son's forehead.

"I've got a spare teething ring chilling in the freezer. Here, go see Mommy, love."

"Ooh, Grandma's always prepared, isn't she?"

"Watch the G-word!" Alexis called over her shoulder.

"Sorry." Sam laughed. "Wouldn't want to upset the woman with your teething ring, would we, Danny?"

Alexis handed the item to her grandson, shrugging. "Just don't say it in front of my bachelor brother. Stefan would never let me hear the end of it."

"Until last night, I didn't think amusement was an emotion Stefan was capable of."

"Until last night you barely knew him," Alexis countered. "And besides, Stefan's a complicated man."

Sam conceded the point. "So, empty house? I didn't think Kristina headed to the J-A-I-L until later."

"Interesting you should ask that."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah, because I received a call from the firm's answering service inquiring about a follow-up call from Rochester Telephone Company, something about a PI looking into Kristina's cell records."

"Yeah, about that…can I just…you know?"

"No, you cannot check her phone, Samantha! That's a complete invasion of your sister's privacy. And it wouldn't do you any good to look here. Kristina's phone is probably in a locker room at GH."

"The hospital?"

"Where your sister will completing her community service hours. It appears Sonny had a hissy fit."

"And Krissy came off worse for it."

"What do you mean?"

"Oh come on, Mom," Sam snorted. "Epiphany could make the warden cry."

"Ah, ah, ah!" Danny cried, happy now that he was bouncing a foam block against his grandmother's knee.

"I know," Alexis smiled. "You're waiting for Mommy to tell us a story, aren't you? How about a fairytale about why she was snooping into Auntie Krissy's phone records, doesn't that sound like fun?"

"I did it because she's been seeing a lot of Ethan lately, and I know you've noticed too, because you've been having Shawn keep an eye on the two of them."

"Have I been that obvious?"

"Yeah, you kind of have."

"So what's you theory on the subject?"

"I think Ethan is trying to play knight in shining armor to Krissy in her grief. When I first went to Kelly's to spirit Ethan away, I heard them talking."

"About what?"

"About going to Florence like Kristina had planned before the whole Mob Princess debacle, presumably together. Maybe they've decided to go through with it."

"Absolutely not!"

"I know."

"She's only twenty!"

"I know that, Mom."

"We have to figure out a way to stop this."

"Like you said, Mom, Kristina's twenty, an adult. I don't think that we necessarily can stop it."

"At the risk of sounding as self-important as Stefan, acquiescence is not the Cassadine way."

"Are you a Cassadine again?"

"That's question is more loaded than you realize, honey. Frankly, I don't know if I have an answer. For you, or for myself."

0o0o0o

"Kristina," Epiphany called, as she walked down the hallway. "May I see you for a moment, please?"

The head nurse radiated something intimidating, even toward people who knew without a shadow of a doubt that they were on her good side. Kristina was not one of this happy number and so she chose to use the self-preservation skills she had learned from watching Melinda Bauer, and do whatever the woman said.

"Yeah… sure. Are you going to give me my assignments?"

"I will, but first I want to make something abundantly clear."

"Okay."

"I don't give a flying you-know-what that your family is royal, or that your uncle is back running the show financially, as far as you're concerned I am Queen. Stefan may be my boss, but I am yours, and I won't have you running to Uncle Stefan with complaints about big, bad Epiphany. Understood?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, assignments: empty and wash bedpans for all the patients on this floor. By then, it should be noon, so you can take the orders of all the bedridden patients, and bring them their food. Last, because I'm feeling generous today, you can entertain on the pediatrics ward. Get it?"

"Er, Epiphany, what about my lunch break?"

"Take twenty minutes after your done playing waitress."

"Got it."

"Good."

"And you will be expected to log your hours accurately. I know exactly how long you're supposed to be working here, so don't even try to cheat the system."

0o0o0o

"Hi, Jamie. Ooh, I love the stickers on your cast. Can I borrow Kristina for a minute, and she'll finish reading to you later."

"Sure."

"Thank you."

"No, thank you, Elizabeth," Kristina whispered as she closed the door to the little boy's room. "For saving me from the fourth Davy the Dinosaur adventure of the afternoon."

"That has become a favorite," the nurse laughed. "Anyway, Diane Miller is looking for you."

Kristina's heart began to beat with adrenaline. "What does Diane want?" she asked, feigning ignorance. "Is it…is it Mom?"

"I'm sure if it were, it would Stefan who would tell you, not Diane."

"Oh, good point."

"I sent her to an empty conference room on the tenth floor. And you can go after you talk to her," Elizabeth added in a whisper, "I'll cover for you with Epiphany."

"Thank you."

0o0o0o

Diane sighed, as she readied herself to prepare Lulu and Dante for what she was sure was only a ludicrous plan spun by Kristina for the affections of Ethan Lovett. With one final steadying breath, she turned the doorknob. "Thank you for meeting me. Oh Luke, I didn't know you would be joining us."

"I wanted to meet the broad who would be carrying my grandchild," Luke explained nonchalantly, while his daughter rolled her eyes.

"Honestly, Dad."

Diane responded likewise. "And in all technicality, you've met her before. All three of you have."

"Hi, guys." Kristina whispered.

Luke waved cheerfully, but both Dante and Lulu gazed around the room as waiting for another woman to appear, perhaps after jumping out of a giant birthday cake. Finally, the reality of the situation seemed to dawn on Lulu.

"No."

"Why not?" Kristina demanded. "You want a baby, and I can give you one."

"Works for me," Luke remarked.

"Look Lulu, I didn't have the chance to spend time with my brother like you did, growing up with Lucky and Nik. I didn't even know Dante was my brother until I was teenager. I figured this could be our chance to…you know, bond."

Lulu shook her head decidedly. "You're too young, Kristina."

"Now wait a minute, Gumdrop," Luke interrupted, "if your mother had taken that attitude when Nicky Boy came to Port Charles, then you wouldn't be here today. And he was fifteen."

"That was different."

"It was a bone marrow transplant, and was a lot more dangerous than a pregnancy."

"But I needed the marrow, if I find someone to give me a baby that's fine, but—"

"What you need is a little tyke who you could give all the love you have in your heart, one who you can provide with the life that I couldn't always give you. And Kris here wants to bond with her big brother, so why don't you do what you both want, and sign the paper, darling."

"Pass me the pen," Lulu conceded. Dante pulled a ballpoint out of his pocket, scrawling his own name in the appropriate spaces, before handing it over.

Diane smiled as she gathered the completely documents. "Congratulations, you three. This is the beginning of a beautiful journey for you."