General Hospital-

Hospitals never tried to be depressing. The fact that people were in the hospital, that there was a need for hospitals in the first place was depressing enough, they didn't need to add to that by having, say, pictures of mass destruction on the walls. But they also didn't try to be festive. Most people didn't feel like seeing bright, happy colors while they had a loved one that was slowly closing in on their final moments of life, it only made the happiness seem fake, unreal. It tended to piss people off.

But Christmas was different. Especially Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve at General Hospital was something that was special to everyone that had worked at the hospital, and even more special to those that were inside of it. For one single night, they could forget about the things that were wrong with them. They could just be happy. They would get other presents, of course, but that simple gesture of giving them the chance to be themselves was enough of a present for everyone involved.

Of course, Christmas Eve at General Hospital wouldn't have been able to be any sort of a success without the aid of the people who made it possible. At the head of that list was Elizabeth. Her vision was unique. She was an artist. While her forum was usually the canvas in which she poured her heart and soul out to create pictures of sheer beauty, an artist was someone who could see something and make it beautiful. Such was the case with the area where they would decorate for the Christmas party. Elizabeth had turned it into something that could never, ever have been thought of it wasn't for her. Fake snow that littered the ground gave the feeling of being outside. Icicle and starburst white lights made it seem like they were staring into something that was more than the rich blue curtain that was to represent the night sky.

Elizabeth had toiled with the idea since she was asked to head the development of the project shortly after Halloween. Hours upon hours of preparation could be logged onto her credit, and she did it free of charge. Her satisfaction was the fact that she finally got to work on something that was artsy, something that she didn't really get to do at Kelly's. Everything was perfect, or at least close enough to perfect where Elizabeth could convince herself that it was perfect.

There were reasons that she took the job. People knew that Elizabeth had a kind, gentle heart. That she would gladly help anyone that needed her help, but that wasn't the real reason why she felt that she needed to do what was being asked of her. That wasn't why she went above and beyond what was expected of her. Her reasons were simple. "Gram?" Elizabeth put her hand over her dear grandmother's, the very reason that she was so intent on making the day special.

"Oh, Elizabeth," Audrey Hardy smiled softly as she returned from wherever her head was. "Have I told you how much I love what you've done here? I've never seen anything that seemed to capture the spirit of Christmas as much as what you've given us this year. I know that the children will love it!"

"Well I couldn't let all those kids down on Christmas, could I?" Elizabeth could see that Audrey's mind wasn't in the holiday spirit, and she knew why. Nobody would blame a woman for thinking of her late husband after they had shared so much, both good and bad, especially during the holiday's, especially when that very husband would always be so involved with the holiday activities.

"You wouldn't let them down even if December 24th meant nothing to any of us. It could be any day of the year, Elizabeth, and you would turn it into something that's magical. You have the soul of an angel, with the ability to touch so many people in so many ways."

"Thanks, Gram," Elizabeth blushed at the comment. "Do you want some company? I know… I know that it's hard for you to do this…"

"He would want me to stay until I could no longer do it myself, Elizabeth. A Webber must be present at the holiday party, it's mandated. It meant so much to him to be able to read the story to all the children. Thankfully, Alan's managed to do a wonderful job in his stead."

"But Alan could never hope to compare… not to him," Elizabeth loved Alan Quatermaine dearly, but Alan wasn't her grandfather.

Audrey saw Lucky in the crowd and she waved to him. He returned the gesture, but she could tell that his eyes were more fixated on Elizabeth. Given the way that Elizabeth looked at him, it was obvious that the intentions weren't the same. It made Audrey very sad. "Elizabeth, you're a beautiful, wonderful girl. You deserve to be happy."

"I am happy, Gram, really," Elizabeth knew where the conversation was going, but she didn't try to stop it. She knew that there was no use in attempting to stop it.

"Really? Then why aren't you here with anyone?" Audrey knew that Ric and Elizabeth were engaging in a very volatile relationship, one that was on and then off and back on before she could even blink. Ric had broken Elizabeth's heart before. Audrey would never forgive him for that, but she wanted Elizabeth to be happy, truly happy. She just didn't know why it wasn't Lucky who could have done that for her.

"Gram… Ric knows how important this event is to me. He'll show up…" there was the hesitation in her voice that showed how unsure she was of the possibility of Ric truly showing up. She knew now how much he hated the idea of Christmas spirit, maybe he would just avoid the whole situation altogether. If he did, would she even be able to forgive him?

Elsewhere in the hospital, others gathered. All were important in their own ways, none more important than the Quatermaine family. The hospital was as much theirs as it was anyone else's. Tracy was looking around for her son. For Dillon. He had only seen her a few times, quick visits here and there before he returned to the hellhole that he called a home, with the castaway Quatermaine and AJ's ex-wife, high above in the heart of the mob world.

"So tacky…" Tracy mumbled as she looked at the way that the hospital was decorated. Before, the place had just been boring. Banal. But now, with this new change, it was something that she didn't like. Tracy didn't adjust to change well. She wasn't adjusting to losing her mother, that big change, very well. They had their differences, more than a few, but Lila was still the one who raised Tracy. The only reason that Tracy was even at the party was to honor the spirit of her mother. If she managed to see Dillon along the way, then that was just one extra bonus.

"I think that the place looks wonderful. Elizabeth did an excellent job with the decorating and she kept everything very well priced. Our budget for the event was barely touched." Monica had a rare moment where she could wander around the hospital without wearing the outfit that she usually wore. She was in a suit, a beautiful, yet simple, ash suit.

"You would. You never understood what made something look good, Monica. You lack that level of class…" Tracy's venom was apparent, as it always was.

"Funny, when we asked if you wanted to volunteer some of your precious time to help decorate for the party, you declined. You had some very colorful words when it came to that rejection, if my memory holds," Alan was standing next to his wife, looking at the seat that he would soon be sitting in and reading the book that was always read to the children on this day.

"What was it you said exactly?" Monica asked. "Ah, yes, now I remember, 'I'd sooner gouge my own eyes out with an ice pick.'"

"That would be more pleasant than looking at this atrocity. It's a mockery of the Christmas spirit!"

"How can you even claim to know what the Christmas spirit is, Tracy? Doesn't that require that you have the smallest sense of what it means to be good in you?" Monica's patience when it came to Tracy seemed to wane quickly. "I think that the Christmas spirit is encompassed in everything that Elizabeth has done for this event."

"Excuse me," Tracy blew Monica off, it was something that she was really good at. One of the many things that she had turned into an art form in her life. Her reason for leaving the tête-à-tête? She saw her son.

Dillon was waiting for Georgie to come on. In the years that they had been together he had seen her wear the same outfit time and time again. He liked the way that she looked in it, even though she hated it. Girls were like that. Then again, if he was the one that was forced to wear the outfit he wouldn't like it either.

"Merry Christmas, my darling son…"

Dillon's body froze when he heard her voice behind him. "Why is it that when you say it, it seems like it's not the same as when someone else says it?"

"Come now, Dillon, have I ever once, in all the years that we were alone together, done anything but toiled to give you the best Christmases that we could have had…"

"There aren't many good things that can be done from Hotel rooms, mom."

"Still, I made the effort, the best you could do is reciprocate and give your own mother a hug."

Dillon looked at Tracy. He didn't hate his mother. Truly, he couldn't hate his mother, even if she was one of the evilest people that he had ever known, he knew that there was something inside of her that wasn't evil. He knew that she had the same motherly instincts that everyone else had, she just didn't act on them. And she did try to give him a good Christmas. She would get the tree and everything. She was right, he owed her. Walking over, he hugged her.

Tracy gripped around him harder, silently wishing that the moment would never end. "I miss you, Dillon, I miss you so very much."

"How… how are you doing with everything?" Dillon was able to put aside his animosity towards the woman and at least try and find out how she was feeling. It was the first Christmas that Lila was gone. Even though they didn't spend Christmas with her very often, it was different. Nobody would see Lila, not anymore.

"It's hard, being without my mother. I won't lie to you, Dillon. There's a part of my soul, and I can assure you that I still have one because if I didn't I wouldn't be feeling any pain at all right now, that is gone because she's gone…"

"I'm one of the only people who wouldn't accuse you of not having a soul, mother, you know that." There were times when Dillon sincerely doubted the fact that Tracy felt anything, but he knew that she did.

"It would be easier if I had people that love me around me, to help me grieve over the tremendous loss that I've been dealt."

"You have people who love you, mom. Alan, Monica, Emily, Ned, Grandfather…"

"None of them, not even Ned, love me like you do," Tracy finally let go of Dillon. "You're my baby, Dillon. You're still the one person that I will drop everything for if you need me. How many times do you have to see me in anguish, son? How many times do I have to think about you going and living with someone else, someone who isn't me, and enjoying yourself? Do you even know how often I go into your room, sit on your bed for hours at a time and just think about all the good times that we had?"

"You made the decisions that pushed me away, mom."

"And don't you think I've paid for those mistakes enough? You might come from me, Dillon, but that doesn't mean that you're like me." Tracy could see that her pleas weren't going to make her wishes come true. Dillon wasn't coming back with her. "It's funny… this is exactly like what happened with my mother. You're as different from me as I was from her. People would always ask how a woman like Lila Quatermaine could have a child like me, and I know that people… like your girlfriend, constantly wonder how you could come from someone like me."

"I'm glad you're my mother," Dillon was slowly weakening, but he knew that it was what she wanted. He knew that no matter what, he wouldn't give her that desire that she wanted. But he felt bad nonetheless. "If anyone ever tells you that I don't love you, mom, don't believe them. I love you, I'll always love you, but that doesn't mean that I have to be controlled by you."

"I've learned!"

"Have you?" Dillon shook his head. "Tell me, mom, and don't lie to me because you might be a very good liar, but I'm the one person who you can't fool all the time and I will know that you're lying when I ask you this question: Would you change what happened between us? Would you try and keep me away from the people that I care about?"

Tracy lowered her eyes. She would try to keep her son away from the people that he associated himself with. How could she not? His girlfriend was the daughter of the police commissioner, and his best friend was the prince of crime, who had already been placed in a life-threatening position because of who he was.

"See? I knew you wouldn't be able to say that you would change. Which means that you haven't learned anything. You still want to control my life, mom, and I won't let you do it to me anymore. Look, I can't stop you from being around me while we're both here, but I'm asking you to not ruin this for me. I'm going to be here with the girl that I love, and I'm finally going to spend some time away from my family… the family that you made me run away from."

"I didn't make you choose to live with Jason!"

"Maybe not, but you made me choose, and you made me make the choice that I made!" Dillon could see Georgie was watching them, keeping her distance because she didn't feel comfortable around Tracy. Nobody did. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to spend some time with someone who accepts me for the person who I am."

As Dillon walked away, Tracy turned to look out a nearby window, concealing the few tears that trickled down her face.