Quatermaine Mansion-

Brook knew that she had been in the Mansion before. Had things been different it would have been at least a second home to her, if not her true home. She knew that when her parents had started out with their marriage they tried to do things differently. They tried to own a house and get away from the Quatermaine's. It didn't turn out as well as it should have, neither did their marriage. She was too young to remember much about the divorce, and for that she was at least partially thankful. She had heard stories from other kids who were old enough to remember things about when their parents divorced. Their pain was the same, but she didn't have to worry about the memories of the hurtful words that were said by both parties. She didn't have to worry about wondering if it was her fault that her parents couldn't be together anymore. She didn't have it as good as she would have liked, but it was still better than what it could have been.

Still, being the only person under the age of 20 was pretty obvious. Emily was a nice girl, Brook had spent some time with her, but she always seemed to be blabbing on about how she wanted to be with her fiancé. Brook knew that she would never let herself become so clingy as Emily had allowed herself to be with that Nikolas person she was constantly rambling about. And, try as much as she might have, she just couldn't seem to fit in with the friends that Dillon had. His girlfriend seemed nice enough, and she had found herself a musical companion in Damian, but Maxie… she was pretty sure that she hated Maxie.

Brook sat in the living room of the mansion, the room where she spent most of her time. She could feel Lila's spirit in the room, or at least she thought she could. Brook couldn't explain it. She barely knew Lila, could barely remember the faintest of memories. But when Lois told her that Lila was gone, Brook felt the pain of that loss just as much as anybody else.

With the holiday dry spell over, Ned had a full load of work that he needed to do. It wasn't something he was very proud to admit, and his grandfather had been as unresponsive as he was when Brook was an infant in giving him time to spend with his daughter. That didn't mean that Ned couldn't spend time with her. He knew that he would do everything that was in his power to make sure that Brook understood just how much he did care for her.

He saw her in the living room. There was still some time for a little chat before he had to meet with some Chinese business partners for a lunch meeting. And even if he was late, they would understand. They were fathers, or so he thought.

"Honey…"

Brook heard her father's voice. It was good to actually hear it in person rather than her just remembering what he said, or hearing him on the phone. She missed her father. She would rarely admit it, but it was the truth. Ned was her dad. She didn't fault him for everything that happened. If anything she blamed her mother, and even then she knew that Lois had reasons for doing what she did.

The teenager carefully glanced over her shoulder, trying to act nonchalant. "Hi, dad."

"What are you doing in here alone?" Ned took a seat on the couch next to her. "I know the house is big, but you could always find someone to talk with. Alice might look a little scary, but she's actually quite good at making with the small talk."

"Actually, we were playing canasta earlier," Brook liked Alice. One of those women who looked like they could rip you in half but really she was just as sweet as the next person. Unless she was around Tracy. Brook had noticed that Alice didn't really care for her grandmother, and Brook could see why. She would relate with the scorn. "But then great-grandfather said something about how she needed to get back to work cleaning up the walk-in freezer."

"I wish you could have more people around here that you could spend your free time with," Ned lowered his head. "It would have been a lot easier for you to be here if Dillon had stayed with us…"

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Brook asked. "I mean, I don't really want to ask him about it because I don't want to seem like I'm prying into his life, you know? But he's over there at those penthouses living with Jason…"

"It's not something that any of us are very happy with. Especially mother…"

"Well, why don't you guys try and talk him out of it? You're family. He's young. Grandma's pretty scary, I bet she could make him come back if she wanted."

Ned chuckled. "Mother's more than 'pretty scary,' Brook Lynn. I hope you never have to see just why that statement is true. But… I wish it could be as simple as you're making it out to be. It isn't. Nothing is ever that simple in life, especially when you're a Quatermaine."

"He seems so down to earth," Brook had been keeping tabs on all of them, seeing how they acted. Dillon didn't seem to be the spoiled little rich boy type that he could have been. "It's kind of weird. You see people around here, everyone's wearing suits or dresses, even when they're just having a casual conversation. And then there's Dillon… and that hair."

The chuckle became more of an uproarious laughter. Who knew that Brook was so funny? Ned realized that he didn't know his daughter as well as he would have liked. It made him regret the choices that were made, but if anything else it made him even more determined to make sure that he made the most of what time he did have with Brook. Yes, she was home schooled, which meant that, on a technical level, she could have stayed with him even after their winter break was up, but it was Lois who could make the choice as to when they were going to leave.

"Dillon would have loved having you here, sweetheart," Ned commented. "I know that the two of you would have had a blast together. Talking about things, doing stuff together. He's been taking you around town, hasn't he?"

She nodded, "Him, his girlfriend and some other friends, too. They seem like they're good people, dad, but I don't know… I guess I don't feel like I fit in with them."

"What makes you say that?"

"Well, look at them. You've got Dillon, this kid with huge dreams of being a director, and Georgie who seems like she knows everything that anyone ever needs to know in the world… plus Maxie… well, I don't know what she wants, probably to just leech off of someone for the rest of her life…"

"Brook, that's not very nice…"

"Sometimes the truth hurts," Brook retorted. She didn't know Maxie very well, but her observations had proven that she loved to latch onto whatever it was that was available. She felt quite badly for Damian, poor kid didn't deserve to have someone like that running him down. "But back to the point. Then there's Damian… I don't know about him, dad."

"You should stay away from him."

Brook was surprised by her father's insistence. "Do you know him?"

"No… we've never really met."

"So then why do you want me to stay away from him?"

"Because he's a Corinthos," Ned made the point clear and simple. "Brook, I don't know much about Damian. I know that he wants to become a doctor and Alan and Monica speak very highly of him and I have nothing against him as a person, but I know his family. I know his father. Your mother is Sonny's oldest and dearest friend. You think I don't know about the life that he leads? The danger that comes when people are around him."

"Damian doesn't want to be like Sonny," Brook defended the boy that she barely knew, and she didn't even know why she was doing it. She just felt that she couldn't let her dad talk down about a kid who seemed like he was the nicest person in the world. "I mean… how can someone who can play the piano as well as he can be a cold blooded killer? It doesn't make any sense."

"Brook, that's not making any sense either. The fact that he plays the piano…" Ned stopped for a moment, "he plays the piano?"

"You should have heard it, dad. He's not the best that I've heard, of course, but for someone who doesn't necessarily want to do it as a profession he's really good. I can see that he loves the music, just like I do."

"That's beside the point," Ned couldn't be distracted. He needed to keep his daughter safe, that was part of his job as a parent. "Brook, he's dangerous. Maybe not him on his own, but the fact that his father is who he is puts anyone who comes into contact with Damian at risk."

"Dillon's his best friend…"

"Please don't remind me," Ned begged. "That's the main reason why we don't want Dillon living with Jason. We know that Jason cares about Dillon, so does Courtney, but Dillon's just a teenager and he is bound to get hurt eventually."

"Jason Morgan can take care of your little brother better than anyone else in the world," Lois had been standing outside the door long enough to hear her ex-husband trashing the lifestyle choices of her best friend. It was true, Sonny lived a life of danger, but it wasn't something that he could have helped.

"Jason can't be everywhere," Ned got up. "Contrary to popular belief, Lois. Jason isn't some superhero who can leap tall buildings in a single bound. He's a human. What if he's too busy doing something for Sonny when Dillon needs him? What then?"

"I think you're selling them all short," Lois walked into the room, standing right by Ned. "I understand that you worry about Dillon. He's your little brother."

"He's also my godson," Ned realized how complex that claim sounded, and bizarre, but it was true. "I'm the closest thing that Dillon's ever had to a father since Paul Hornsby is never around."

"I'm sure he'd love to be around if Tracy ever let him near his son…" Lois shook her head. "But that's beside the point. Look, Dillon's a big boy, he's formidable, he can take care of himself."

"He can't survive a bullet…"

"You worry too much, Ned, you always have," Lois poured herself a glass of water. "You were always thinking about the worst when it came to Sonny."

"And how often was I right?"

"You don't know what it was like for him growing up, I do. Sonny is a tormented man, Ned. He didn't have the money that you did growing up. Even when your mom shipped you away to boarding school you were safe. Sonny wasn't. Don't even try and pretend that you can understand him, because you never could and you never will."

"Ma, lay off," Brook glared at her mother. "You can't blame dad for wanting to keep the people that he loves safe. If you weren't so busy being Sonny's best friend and reputation protector you'd probably be doing the same thing."

"I'll admit that there are times when I feel worried when I'm around Sonny Corinthos, but it is never because I feel unsafe around Sonny himself."

"He still creates the environments that make you feel uncomfortable," Ned had always tried to put a wedge between the friendship that Lois and Sonny shared. He still loved Lois. He always would. He wanted to keep her safe, even now. "Do you want your daughter to be in danger?"

"She's a Quatermaine, maybe not in name but by blood. That puts her in enough danger."

"The danger isn't constant, though… not like with Sonny." Ned looked at his watch and groaned. He was pressing time, he'd be late if he kept on arguing with Lois.

"Dad?" Brook could sense the discomforting vibes.

"Honey, I'm sorry, but if I don't meet with these people ELQ could be out on a potentially billion dollar contract. I have to go. Just remember what I said, please." Ned kissed his daughter on the cheek, "I love you."

"I love you, too," Brook Lynn watched her father leave.

Lois had walked over to the glass door and was looking at the rose garden. Lila used to love the rose garden. It was like her special place. It helped sooth Lois, keep her temper in check, at least somewhat. "The nerve of that man."

"He has a point… how many times has Sonny been shot?"

"I know, baby, I know," Lois closed her eyes, gripping the glass tightly. "I always wanted to say that I could protect Sonny from things that would hurt him. I could see it when we were growing up. He needed someone to cover for him."

"He has a wife…"

Lois laughed, "Carly's not exactly the most likely choice I'd have for Sonny's protector. I just wish that he had it easier. I wish that people didn't think so low of him. Sonny's a great person, one of the best men that I've ever had the pleasure of knowing. People just need to open their eyes so they can see it, too."