Authors Notes: Sorry for the lack of updates. Been busy with school and such. Thanks for all the reviews. They make me happy. Here are a few more chaps, five to be exact. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 13

The Cellar

They all stood there shocked. No one got what happened. Shouldn't Emma have given Lila a piece of her mind? Why did she just leave, and why wouldn't Carly go after her.

Once Emma rushed out Carly had begun to usher the rest of the patrons out. She had tried to get Sonny, Jason, and the rest to leave but they wouldn't. Lila wouldn't even leave. She sat in the corner table with a smug look on her face that said, "I won," but she didn't and soon she would see exactly what that slap would cost her.

It was a good 10 minutes before the club was empty. Everyone left sat around one table all thinking of the events of that night. Most of the people at the table had tried to go after her, but Carly wouldn't let them. She had told them, "Give her some time, she'll be back. Like her parents she eventually comes back". So they waited in silence for a while just thinking.

"What was that? Why is Lila still alive," Michael questioned with confusion in his voice.

Carly didn't answer. She just stared at her hands. She didn't know what to do. Should she tell them? She wasn't sure. Emma didn't want to tell. Emma didn't want anyone to know much about her life. Carly knew that once they knew who she was they would never turn their backs on her, but what would happen until she was ready.

Looking up Carly made her decision. She wouldn't tell not yet. When Emma was ready she would.

"Just some bad memories," Carly said barley audible as she turned to face Lila. Speaking more firmly, "Stop with your games Lila. Emma doesn't need them. If you keep going at this rate your Daddy won't be able to save you."

The force in Carly's last statement made everyone stare at her.

"Are you threatening my daughter, Carly because if you…"

"Sam, My Mom is just saying that Emma is a very loved girl, and her Family would give the world to keep her from hurting," Michael paused to gain his train of thought, "And that goes for me too. Lila, I've told you before, and I'll tell you again don't mess with Emma. It'll be more trouble than it's worth."

"What do you know," Lila snapped, "It's not like she's your sister. God, why do you care so much?"

"Michael is more Emma's family than he is yours," Carly stated in anger causing everyone to look and wonder what she meant.

-.-

The Docks

She had been crying in front of Kelly's but had came to the docks so no one would see her. She stood their looking out over the water. She had needed to think. After everything that happened that night she needed to get away and this was all she could think of. Water always had a calming effect on her.

She stood there thinking. Should she tell them why she ran out, who she was, why she was there? She wanted them to like her, maybe love her, to not think of her as some home-wrecking twit, which is what they thought of her. She was sure of it. She wanted them to like her for her not the fact that she was his daughter, or her mother's daughter.

She needed to talk to someone, but not to them. What would they think? Taking her phone from her jacket pocket she pressed speed dial one hoping that she would get an answer.

-.-

Italy

When she had started her foundation she never thought it would take off like it did, but the 10 million dollars helped. Currently she had organizations all over the states, she wasn't as hands on as she used to be, but she did still run it. She had begun to be more of a behind-the-scenes girl when she got pregnant.

She didn't want Emma on the Medias radar. As much as it was for Emma it was for herself as well. She wasn't sure what they would think if they saw her in the paper or something with a little girl, a little girl with his eyes. She didn't mind not being in the office everyday, she trusted Max

They both thought it was a good plan, especially with the expansions in the business. They had begun to buy companies out. Courtney had insisted that no one lose their job, so no one did. Courtney had one of the most successful businesses, with Max's help. It had infuriated Sonny when he saw his ex-guard at a press conference for his sister's foundation, and corporation. She remembered the last time she spoke to her Brother…

FLASHBACK

She had just given birth to Emma a week ago. She had been born 3 weeks premature, but all the doctors said that her little girl, her Emma, would be ok. She was excited, and happy, she would leave for the hospital soon to bring her daughter home. She wanted to have him with her but she couldn't. Sometimes it took every ounce of strength she had not to go running back to tell him, all of them, but she couldn't. She couldn't make him choose. She just wouldn't do that to him.

She was walking along the beach near her new home. She knew it would never be anything like his Penthouse, or their Loft, but she would make it her home, with Emma.

As she thought of her baby, their baby, she smiled. She smiled a wide smile just thinking of holding her angel. She couldn't wait.

Her smile was quickly vanished as she brought her head up to look at her house. He looked mad. Why was he here, Carly would be here soon and she had said Sonny wouldn't come. She climbed the stairs and stopped in front of him.

"Hi," She whispered. She received no sound only a glare from the man she called her brother.

"How could you," Sonny said with no emotion in his voice.

"I didn't want to," She said panicking. He knew about her daughter, he had too why else would he be there.

"Bullshit. You knew exactly what you were doing," He screamed.

"I'm sorry," She said barley audible, "I wanted to tell you."

"No, No you didn't. You ran. You ran to California take one of my best guards and leave, and you're sorry."

"I…"

"No, I don't want to hear it. From this point on I once again have no sister."

Sonny walked away as Courtney fell to the ground and sobbed. She sat there for a few minutes trying to find her voice she wanted to tell him but she couldn't. She pulled herself off the ground. She had to go get her daughter. She slowly walked inside pausing at the door, turning to look in the direction her brother had just come she paused.

"I had a little girl."

She said it. What she wanted to tell her brother, her father, Jason. She said the thing she couldn't say to any of their faces because it would wreck too many lives. Turning she walked inside to go to the hospital.

END FLASHBACK

She hadn't seen her brother since that day, but she didn't have time to dwell on the thought as the ringing of her phone interrupted her.

"Hello, Court…"

"Mom," Emma spoke in a shaky tear filled voice.

Courtney began to panic. What was wrong? Did Sonny, and Jason's business get to her? Was she in trouble, kidnapped, dieing? She didn't have long to come to many conclusions because Emma cleared them up.

"Mom, I'm fine." Emma stated drying her tears. Under her breath she added, "Physically anyway."

"What's wrong sweetie?"

"Nothing."

"You wouldn't call for nothing. So what is it?"

"Lila slapped me," Emma said in a whisper.

Courtney wasn't sure what to say. She knew what that slap would mean. What it could do. She also realized that her daughter was most likely off thinking by herself, which wasn't what she needed. Sure Emma was a trooper, but she could only take so much before she would break.

"Angel, I know it hurts and if you want you can come stay with me…" Courtney stated knowing that the pain wasn't physical.

Emma thought about her mothers offer. She wanted to go. She wanted to see her mother, but she wasn't sure she wanted to leave. It wasn't really that bad. Well there was Sam, and Lila, and she got slapped and arrested, but it wasn't that bad.

"…But I think you should stay," Courtney continued, "I think it would be good for you. You're a strong girl, and I love you, but you should stay. It would give you a chance to get to know them. And Carly needs the company."

Emma laughed at her Mom's last statement. She wanted to stay she just needed her Mom to make it ok, make it better, like she always did.

"Ok, Mom. Look I'm gonna get back to The Cellar. I don't need Aunt Carly to worry. Love ya lots."

"Love you too, be safe."

Courtney sat looking at her phone. Emma was strong, she could handle so much, but she was dealing with a lot right know. Too much, and she shouldn't be alone. Courtney wanted to go see her daughter, but she had so much to do, and her daughter needed to be in Port Charles.

So Courtney did it. She picked up the phone and made a call she probably shouldn't have made.