"Zander, no… You don't have to go out there. Not now. Not when… Not when we don't know what's going on."

Emily Bowen Quartermaine gripped her boyfriend's hand with both of hers. He pulled from her and each time she reached his fingertips, she quickly scrambled back to his wrist. Maybe, she thought, if she pulled on him long enough, begged hard enough, he would stay with her instead of going out into the streets of Port Charles.

When the danger level rose, those were the times that she regretted begging her adoptive brother to get Zander a job. She had thought that her family would get off of Zander's case if he had a job and showed some kind of initiative. Then they could stop sneaking around. She wouldn't have to use her friends to get some time with him.

The plan might have worked, too, if he'd stayed working at the warehouse. Maybe she should have asked Jason to keep him there. It wasn't fair, to put that kind of demand on him, but she was selfless so often that she deserved the right to be selfish every now and then. However, she was fully aware that Zander needed more than a job lifting crates of coffee beans. He would have worked his way around Jason's protection one way or another. But, had she asked, at least Emily wouldn't have felt quite so much blame. If he got hurt, she wouldn't have to know that it was all her fault.

Zander Smith pulled his hand away again and this time, he stepped far enough away to be just out of her reach. "I have to do go, Emily. It's my job."

"Your job is to take care of me." She didn't pout, but her eyes started to glisten. Her voice raised just a bit, a level below screaming, but above normal speech. "I need you right now. I can't handle everything that's going on and if you go out and get shot… I can't handle that, either."

Zander sighed. "Nothing is gonna happen to me, Em." He walked to her slowly and put a hand against her cheek. "It's not dangerous. And I won't be alone. I'm meeting Lucky."

Emily sighed and rolled her face in his hand. If she didn't want Zander to go out there, she certainly didn't want Lucky out there. Zander may have been the love of her life, but Lucky Spencer was her first great crush. She remembered following him around when she first came to town, hoping and praying that he'd look at her as more than the little sister to be watched over. She wanted to be his girlfriend, and the fact that he'd rather be with Elizabeth Webber had caused her to cry more than once.

She had since moved on from her Spencer crush, but she still cared about him. The only thing she could say about Lucky's involvement with Alcazar's business was that it wasn't her fault. Lucky had his own ties to the Alcazar family, ties that had nothing to do with her and everything to do with his own family. Her father, Luke Spencer, had been best friends with Lorenzo and Luis Alcazar for about a decade. They had been business partners in the past and, for a little while, enemies when it was thought that Lucky had been murdered because of Alcazar's business. When it was revealed that Helena Cassadine had kidnapped Lucky and faked his death, the men had managed to repair their differences. No apologies were given, but an understanding was reached.

Taking Lucky's involvement even further, he was pretty much family where Alcazar was concerned. Carly Alcazar was the long-lost daughter of his Aunt Bobbie, and while his father didn't really care much for Carly, Lucky gave her a chance. Emily often wondered if Lucky were so nice to Carly because he really liked her, or because he knew that he'd lose his job if he were mean. Losing his job meant being pulled back into his father's war with the Cassadines, and considering that the heir to the Cassadine throne was his half-brother, Lucky had no desire to be yanked back into the decades-long feud.

So, Lucky worked for Alcazar. Zander worked for Alcazar. Jason worked for Alcazar. The three people Emily worried about the most were in danger on a daily basis, and one of them was in the hospital. She wanted Zander to come with her to see Jason, to stand behind her and be the rock at her back when she thought she would cry. He'd been with her the night before, had even helped her stop AJ and Carly from fighting, and she wanted him with her again.

"Please, Zander, just a little while longer." Emily lowered her head and closed her eyes. She felt the bump of Zander's forehead landing on the crown of her head. "I know I'm being selfish and I know I'm being a baby, but… Jason could have died, and I don't want that happening to you."

"I won't die, Em, I promise." He turned her head up to him and kissed her lips lightly. "I'm just going off with Lucky to meet with Lorenzo, that's all."

"No, that won't be all. With Jason in the hospital, he'll lean on you and Lucky. He'll give you heavier work and I know what that means. It means you'll be in even more danger than usual, and so, don't tell me that you're meeting with Lorenzo, and that's all, 'cause it's not all."

"Em…" Zander sighed and shook his head. "You knew what I would be getting into when Jason hired me at the warehouse. You knew I wouldn't be able to stay out of this business for long. Business like this is how we met."

She groaned. "Don't remind me."

He chuckled and kissed her again. "You know what I mean. And you know what this means to me… that he's trusting me, that he's giving me more to do. I'm not just the kid that hired on 'cause of Jason's sister. I've proven myself and I'm trusted. If I don't go now…" Zander sighed. "Don't ask me to give this up, Em, because you know I can't do that."

"I know," she said with a sigh. "I just… I'm worried. Everybody's scared and I've got to deal with the family and… I just wish you could be there with me."

"Do you really want me to be there when the old man starts going?"

Emily thought about that for a second. Zander and Edward Quartermaine in the same room, on opposite sides of an argument… that was definitely not something that she truly wanted to see. It would only end in an fight and, as always, she would become the peacemaker. That was her role in the family. She was the one to make everyone back off and stop hurting each other. But, it would have been nice if, for once, someone in the Quartermaine household would do the same for her.

"Fine, you have to go." Emily stepped away from him then turned. She perched on the end of the sofa, and looked around the room. Zander didn't live in a penthouse like Jason, but his apartment was nice enough, and it was more towards his style. "I'll just finish getting ready and head over to the hospital. I'm sure Jason's trying to leave by now, anyway, and it'll take more than Sam to stop him from leaving."

"Em…"

"I'm fine, really. I just had a moment of selfishness. Go, I'll be fine."

Zander looked back at her and she shooed him off with a wave of her hands. He didn't look like he believed her, but he had no choice but to go. Emily watched the door close behind him, then fell backwards with a flop onto the sofa. She looked up at the ceiling, counted to ten, then sighed. "Sometimes, I really wish I were more selfish on a regular basis."