Chalina- Yes, Damian and Sonny are very different people, although they've got a lot of things in common. It gives them a complexity to their relationship that is part of the heart of this story. Thank you for your praise.

Story-

General Hospital-

There were many reasons why Maxie Jones should not have been working as a candy-stripper on that day. She had just been through some of the most traumatic hours in her short life, no one would have held it against her had she decided to call one of her first personal days in some time. Yet, she couldn't do it. Everything that happened at the hospital gave her a reason to forget about her own problems and immerse herself in the problems that were being handed to her by the doctors. She needed that escape. At least she was no longer turning to things like drugs, alcohol, and sex in order to gain such an escape. She had grown up so much in such a short time. Everyone that knew her was proud of her progression from uncertain teenager to confident young woman. Of course, she knew that it was a lie. She wasn't confident. She may have no longer been making such stupid decisions, but he knew next to nothing about herself. She loved her father, her sister, and she loved Damian. Those were the only things that she knew for certain. She didn't know if she could survive being around the man that she loved. She didn't know if she could survive having her father and Damian be at odds over her.

The worst part for Maxie was that she knew that she should have been fine about what happened. Nothing bad happened to anyone, except Zander. She wiped away a tear from her eye as she thought about Zander. That split second in her life had flashed through her mind hundreds of times since it had occurred. Zander was her friend. And now, even more than that, Zander was her savior. Where things different, had she not found the love that she cherished so much with Damian, perhaps she could have felt the same for Zander. Maxie ran a hand through her hair. Why did she always fall in love with the wrong people? Why did she always have feelings for people that would either use her or put her in danger? Why did Mac always hate the people that she liked? Well, that final question had an answer that was easy enough to decipher: Mac would always think that anyone, save a man that he picked himself, would never be good enough for either of his daughters. It was a cute quality, one that Frisco would have never utilized, had he decided to stay around and actually be a father for them both. At times, however, that quality was so very annoying. Poor Dillon was still getting the cold shoulder by a man that would more than likely turn out to be his father in law within a matter of years. Even if Dillon and Georgie did get married, would Mac accept it? They had a better chance at Mac's acceptance than Damian and Maxie did, that much was certain. But she didn't even know if she could see herself as Damian's wife. She loved him, yes. But Mac was right on so many levels. He would always be in danger, always put people in danger. If they had children, they would be Sonny's grandchildren.

She was afraid for lives that weren't even born yet, might not ever be born. She wasn't even this scared when she was at death's door when she was a little girl. She should have been petrified then, but she wasn't. Maxie was strong then, but she was weak now.

"I'm going to ask you this question again, Maxie. Are you sure you should be here?"

Maxie snapped out of her thoughts and looked at her sister. Georgie. Always the supportive one, the one that would take Felicia's shoes no matter what. "I need something to take my mind off my problems."

"Then why have you been holding those files in your hands for the last five minutes?" Georgie asked as she put her hands on both of Maxie's shoulders. "You're not going to be able to brush these feelings that you're having off as quickly as you want. I know you're good at blowing things that are important out of your mind, like tests and essays, but even you're not that good."

"Georgie, I'm fine!" Maxie almost shouted. "Look, I'm going to file these things right now, I promise!"

"Why are you fighting me, Maxie?" Georgie asked. "I'm only trying to help."

"I know that, but right now I don't need people constantly reminding me how I should feel. I need people telling me to just forget everything that happened and focus on other things."

"I can't tell you to do that," Georgie admitted. "Because, even if I did, I know that you'd never be able to forget what happened. You've probably thought about that moment a hundred times since you woke up this morning, if not more."

"I have not!"

Georgie shot her sister a stern look, "You never could lie to me, even when we were little. Remember when you tried to tell me that Frisco would be coming back soon?"

"You didn't believe me."

"Because you didn't believe yourself," Georgie stated. "I can read you like a book most of the time, Maxie. Even when you think that I don't know what's going on, I do. So, why don't you tell me what's going on in your head?"

"Every time I close my eyes, Georgie, I see the gun pointed at me. I see the gun go off. I feel my body go limp when I think that it's all going to end."

"That's not the worst part, is it?"

Maxie shook her head, "No, it isn't."

Georgie moved her sister out of the nurses' station and instead sat her down on one of the couches that were stationed in the surrounding area. "Tell me."

"I had a dream last night, Georgie. The situation was the same, but something was different. It wasn't Zander that took the bullet. It was Damian. And he didn't survive. I felt his blood on my hands as I told him to hang on, but he couldn't do it. He tried to tell me that he loved me before he died, but he couldn't do it before he finally did die. Every time I tried to go to sleep, all I saw was that image over and over." Maxie's body shook with the traumatic retelling of the dream to her sister. It was a fear of hers. She lost Kyle, even though she didn't love him, even though he didn't love her. Maybe Faith was right, maybe she was destined to lose the people that she thought meant something to her. Mac could be shot or hurt at any moment with his job. Zander was in a hospital bed somewhere on the West Coast. Damian almost died. Dillon was a Quatermaine, which alone put him in the crossfire of just about anyone in Port Charles. Georgie was in the same boat she was, the daughter of Mac Scorpio. Would it all come down to everyone around her being dead? She couldn't deal with that.

"It was just a dream, Maxie," Georgie said in a comforting tone.

"Yeah, last night it was a dream! And if I have it again tonight, or tomorrow night it might be. But who can say that it will always be a dream, Georgie? One day will I find his body on the ground, shot because he wouldn't give himself up for Sonny?" Maxie closed his eyes, "Or worse, shot because he wouldn't let me die."

"You worry too much. You never used to worry this much."

"I never had reason to worry this much about anything in my life, Georgie!" Maxie pointed out. "Everything in my life used to be so concrete, but now it's like I wake up in the morning and I'm not even sure what's going to happen. I woke up yesterday morning and I wasn't even sure if I'd make it out alive. I'm so scared now."

"I had an idea that I'd find you here." Damian walked up and stood next to Maxie, "Always at the hospital, even when you shouldn't be."

Maxie looked up, her eyes running with tears once more, "How long have you been standing there?"

"Long enough."

Georgie got up, "I'll give you two some time alone."

Damian glanced over at Georgie, "Thanks."

"Damian, I didn't mean anything I was saying," Maxie said as she watched Georgie walk away.

Damian shook his head, "No, Maxie. You meant every word that you said, and I don't want you to ever deny that. I know that I put you in danger. I know that you could have died because of me. I know that I could have died. And I hate myself for all of those things. I love you, Maxie. I love you so much, but I want you to be happy. If you're not going to be happy with me, if you can't stop worrying about me dying from day to day, then maybe I should just leave you. It would kill me inside, but not as much as knowing that you were hurt and worried about me would."

"The dream scared me, Damian."

Damian put Maxie's hand on his cheek. "Can you feel me, Maxie? This is reality. We're both alive right now. You can feel the warmth of my body on your hand. You know the feelings I have for you. I can't promise you that I'll be around forever, but if you can tell me that promising to you that I'll be around as long as I can be isn't enough, then I'll bow out of your life and let you find someone who can make you as happy as you deserve to be. I really thought I could be that person for you, but if I can't, I won't hold you back from finding someone who can be."

It hit Maxie at that moment. The knowledge that she was still in love with him and would never want him to be out of her life. Even if he did die, she would cherish every moment that they did have together. If she broke it off then and there, if they never saw each other again, it would kill a small part of her when she knew that he was gone. When she knew that she wasted so much time away from him because she was afraid of losing him. She was going to lose him one way or another. She wanted to make sure she had him as long as she could. Maxie got up from the chair and wrapped her arms around Damian's neck. "You are that person for me. I'll always be afraid of what could happen to you, what could happen to us, but at least I'll always have those memories."

"There's something I need to ask you."

Maxie pulled away to get a look at his face, "What is it?"

"My dad and Carly want me to live with them again. They want me to be safe, and they want to make sure that Michael feels safe about where I am. He was so afraid last night, Maxie. When I saw him last night he refused to let me leave. He refused to let me out of his sight. He felt that I was going to die if he wasn't always watching me."

"He loves you. You're his big brother."

"What do you think I should do?" Damian asked. "You're the one person that I trust more than anyone in this town. If you don't want me living there again, please tell me. I'll find a way to make Michael understand."

"But you want to live there again, don't you?"

Damian turned away, "I don't know what I want. That's why I'm here. I need help, Maxie. You can help me."

"You don't need my help, Damian. You know deep down that you want to start rebuilding the relationship that you and your dad were starting to make before you found out about his life. You know that you want to keep Michael as safe as possible, because you're a good big brother even though you've only known him for such a short time. You even want to actually stop being so hostile towards Carly."

"I wouldn't go that far," Damian muttered.

For the first time in a long while, Maxie smiled a genuine smile. "Don't try and hide your feelings of sadness over how much you and Carly disagree. I know it hurts you somewhere deep down."

"She can't see me for the person that I really am. Michael can see it, so can everyone else. I'll never understand why Carly stays so blind."

"It's her choice," Maxie said. "Even if it's the wrong choice, you can't force her to think a way that you want her to think. Even if you could make her like you, you wouldn't do it. You know that in time she'll warm up to you. How can she not warm up to the best person the planet?"

Damian chuckled uneasily, "Your praise couldn't come at a better time, and neither could your advice. But, what about when we want to see each other? I know your father wouldn't let you come to the penthouse, and I can't go to your place as long as he's around."

"I don't care what my dad thinks about our relationship, Damian. If he tries to keep us apart he's just going to see how hard it is for me to let you go. I wish he wasn't so blind as well."

"You just have to hope that everything will turn out okay in the end," Damian said softly as he kissed Maxie. "I'm sorry that everything happened."

"In a way it could be considered a good thing. It helped me realize how much I'd hate life if I were away from you."

"I'm a better person because I met you, Maxie Jones. You need to know that."

Maxie shook her head, "You could never be a better person than you already where when I did meet you."

"You opened up a part of me that no one else ever did, Maxie. You gave me hope."

"You always know what to say in order to make me cry, don't you?" Maxie asked as she started to tear up again. She didn't care. They were tears of joy. He was the most romantic guy she'd ever met.

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