Disclaimer: I do not own General Hospital I wasn't even a thought in the wind when this show was created. I do not own Ethan or Kristina or any of the other characters in this.
Summery: Takes place after the scene in 9/1/11 when Kristina overhears Ethan tell Skye all about her and how she's a messed up kid and feels sorry for her. Kristina decides enough is enough. If that is how he really feels about her, then she is done being the victim.
XOXOXO
A couple days after Halloween, Molly's newest mission was to get Kristina to take her to one of her self defense classes. She wanted to see for herself all the process her sister was making, as well see who Pete was up close. At first, Kristina was dead set against her sister going anywhere near her classes or Pete in general. While she trusts Molly; her classes were her sanctuary. They were her way to escape her constant pain of what Keifer put her through all those years ago. While he was in the ground now, a day doesn't go by where she doesn't remember the abuse he put her through as well as his voice in her head telling her no one will ever love her. Her lessons with Pete and his son were very personal and she didn't want to share that part of herself with anyone, even Molly.
However, as usual, Molly didn't give up. She followed her constantly, begging, bargaining, she even went as far to write up a contract that stated she would only go once (unless given permission otherwise) and that whatever she saw or heard would never be repeated. At the point of the contract, Kristina figured she didn't have much to lose bring her to one class. As long as she swore she would never tell mom or her dad about what was being done.
She ends up agreeing to take Molly to her Thursday class, which makes her sister jump up in happiness. She grabs her and gives her a giant bear, promising that she would be very well behaved and not cause any trouble. That statement would normally make her suspicious for her sister's angle but she was too nervous to really notice her sister's wording. She just had to make sure Pete was okay with it.
When Thursday rolled around, Kristina was partly hoping Molly forgot about it but as soon as she was leaving for school that morning, Molly reminded her that she would be home early, so Kristina wouldn't be late.
It would be okay, she kept thinking to herself when she got home from school and made her way upstairs. As she got dressed in her workout gear, she started doing her deep breathing exercises. She can do this. She can show her sister how far she's grown. She knows logically Molly would never judge her and would probably think she was doing great. However, she couldn't help but think she wouldn't be as good as she thought she was.
She shakes her head and runs her hand through her hair. She had to stop thinking like this. She was strong, she was powerful, she was smart. She can do anything and she did not need anyone.
"Not even Ethan." She couldn't help but think to herself. She didn't need him, but that didn't mean she didn't miss him.
As she walks downstairs, she sees Molly is already waiting for her, like usual. She was swinging her legs against her chair as she read her current book of the week. When she notices she was no longer alone, she looks up from her book and gives her an excited smile.
"Hey, you ready?" She asked her as she got up from her seat and grabbed her book to take with her.
"Yeah. Are you going to bring your book?" She had to ask. She doesn't understand why she would bring a book with her when she says she's been dying to see her during her classes.
Molly shrugs.
"Books are kind of like my security blanket. I feel safe with a book in my hand as stupid as that sounds." Molly admits. She wasn't as smart as her mom or as strong as Krissy or Sam but she believed in the written word and she liked to see the best in people. Call her a dreamer but she believed things happened for a reason; even the bad.
Kristina nods at her, completely understanding the need to have something that made you feel comfortable. When she was sixteen, that was Kiefer; because no matter how much he hurt her, she believed he was the best she could do. When that failed, she clung onto Ethan and made herself believe that as soon as she turned eighteen Ethan would run into her arms and tell her he's been waiting for her. Obviously that was not what happened. Right now these classes were her own security blanket.
"Maybe when my contract is up, we can talk to my dad about you starting one. You need to learn how to defend yourself too Molly. That smart brain of yours is only going to get you so far. God forbid you get attacked." She tells her sister seriously and Molly just nods back; although, she didn't really like the idea.
"If I'm impressed with Pete today, I'll talk to mom about it. I'd rather not ask Uncle Sonny if I didn't have to." She admits. Not that she didn't like her uncle, but him and her own father Ric had a very strained relationship and she knew that to Sonny, she was only his niece by blood and obligation; nothing more.
They both get their keys to get going, yet as soon as they open their front door, they see a large basket filled with flowers. Molly notices there are two different types of flowers; deep blue Larkspurs and white Gardenias. She makes a mental note to look up the meaning of those two flowers before she looks at her sister.
Kristina was looking at the flowers in shock. They were beautiful. The dark blue flowers made her think of the night sky while the white ones make her think of shining stars. Only one person knew how much she loved the night.
Ethan.
She hesitantly picks up the card and sees her name on the envelope. She looks over at Molly who was patiently waiting for her to open the card to see who it was from.
"Hey beautiful, I miss spending time with you. Just thought I'd send you something to let you know I was thinking of you...Johnny." Kristina read aloud and tried to hide the disappointment in her voice. She was flattered and thankful to Johnny for sending her such beautiful and thoughtful flowers, yet couldn't help but wish they were from Ethan.
No matter how much she tried to forget him; Ethan was always on her mind.
"That is so sweet of him! Who knew Johnny liked to show his sensitive side?" Molly gushed over the flowers. She could see the disappointment on her sister's face but wouldn't tell her. She was going through the motions and didn't want to put her on the spot...yet anyway.
Kristina musters up a smile.
"You're right! It is very unusual of Johnny but very sweet. I'll have to call him when we get back from my lesson. I'm just going to put this inside for now." Kristina tells her as she picks up the basket and gently places it on the kitchen table. She couldn't help but stroke one of the flowers petals, wishing they were from Ethan saying that he missed her.
She wonders if he thinks of her.
XOXOX
They get to Pete's building ten minutes later. He rented out this old abandoned building to set up his equipment during Kristina's contract. He would have stayed there as well but from past experiences he learned it's not good to stay in the same place as the building he was training the child of someone with a high risk job.
When they arrive, Pete smiled at Molly politely and gave Kristina an approving nod. Kristina pointed to a corner and told Molly to stay there and try to be as quiet as possible.
"Today, we aren't going to be doing any yoga, but I want us to try using my invention I was telling you about. You okay with that?" Pete asked her. Even though this program is his and he bases it on what he knows his clients can handle, he always likes to get their permission to start something new in their training.
For Kristina's training especially, he liked getting her approval and tried to surprise her as little as possible. From everything she told him their first day together, as well as what he's been learning about her; Kristina needs to feel in control of her body, mind, and soul. It was something few of his clients needed but most haven't been through what Kristina Davis Corinthos has.
Kristina nodded determined but looked over at Molly.
"Remember, all that you see here stays between us! Understood?" She asked her sharply and Molly nodded seriously.
"Of course. I promise." Molly answered holding her right hand out and Kristina nodded in approval. When she was training with Pete, she tried to show as little emotion as possible. It wasn't something he taught her, but it's something she's been trying to teach herself as the weeks go by. Emotions are what keep her weak, the less she felt the better.
Pete also looks over at Molly, happy that someone in Kristina's life was being supportive and trying to be there for the young adult.
"I know you already know this, but I'm going to explain this tool again so your sister can hear as well in case she ever needs to take a contract with me." He starts to say and Molly's eyes go dark for a second.
While she won't say this to Kristina ever since she seemed to like Pete, she didn't like some of the things Pete was teaching. Kristina may be getting stronger physically but emotionally she was still broken and Pete can't help her with that but that doesn't mean he can ignore those parts of her that need help. She would prefer not to take one of his contracts, but agrees she should take some self defense classes.
Pete turns and whistles for his son to come and bring the ink gun. Ink gun? What was an ink gun? Molly couldn't help but wonder.
A couple seconds later, a guy around Kristina's age came out with a box one would keep a gun in. The only reason she knows what those kind of boxes look like is because she knows her mom has one in the house and she's also seen one in every room at her Uncle Sonny's house.
Pete's son looks over to her and gives her a small wink.
"You must be Molly, I'm Mathew." He says to her and she smiles halfheartedly and he nodded in understanding. Maybe he saw that there were some things that his dad couldn't fix too. He sat down by her but gave her plenty of space so she wouldn't be uncomfortable. She appreciated that.
Pete opened the box and took out what looked like a typical hand gun. He turned to the younger Davis girl once again but started talking to both of them.
"This gun looks and weighs the same as a regular AMT Hardballer. However, the bullets are actually ink balls and when they are shot, are half the speed of what a gun shot wound would actually feel like. Think of it as a fancy paintball gun. This tool is going to be used during our session. Kristina, you are going to disarm me in multiple scenarios." He says the last part to Kristina to make sure she understood and once again she nodded.
Molly watched fascinated as Kristina disarmed Pete time after time. She was so...strong. Fearless. She just kept fighting off Pete, then Mathew, then both. Molly had to listen carefully, but she could hear that Pete kept taunting her. He said things to Kristina that he knew would make her angry, horrible things to remind her of all she has been through. Kristina didn't show her anger, but she used it to fight Pete off over and over. Her face was void of any emotion and in that moment, Molly had no idea who that person was.
She reminded her a lot of her brother in law Jason. People who didn't know him called him an ice man; someone that had no emotions. There were even a few times Molly saw his emotionless persona in action when him and Sam were broken up. It scared her to think that's what her sister looks like right now. Kristina was not Jason, she was so much stronger and she refused to let her big sister get numb.
After over an hour of Pete's scenarios, he had Kristina stop and take a break. Kristina was covered in sweat but not one ink bullet hit her. The gun went off a couple times, but it just hit the wall. She looked almost satisfied with her training but she just told them she was going to wash her face off a little then they could work on something else.
As soon as Kristina was out of ear shot, Molly stood up and walked over to Pete and Mathew.
"So, how do you think your sister did?" Pete asked. He could see the change in the young girl's behavior during their session and hoped Molly would feel safe enough to tell him what was bothering her.
"You realize you're creating a monster right? That person you're training and getting however much money from is my sister! She is strong so much stronger than anyone gave her credit for, amazing, smart, and right now she is learning through YOU that as long as she can fight, she doesn't need to feel anything!" She tells him angrily and she can see Mathew about to defend his father but Pete holds out his hand to stop his son.
"Molly, I am trained to teach people with high risk jobs and their loved ones self defense. I teach them scenario after scenario about how to fend off attackers. I also try and teach them to strengthen their mind but there is only so much I can do when it comes to emotional and psychological pain. I understand you're concern and I can see what you mean. Kristina is bottling up her emotions because there is something or someone that made her think that was her only option. You probably know more than I do, but I have faith that Kristina will overcome her inner demons." He explains to Molly and her eyes still flash with anger.
His lessons can be hurting her! She knows that he does care about her, but she can't help but feel like he wasn't as good as Kristina made him out to be.
"I will stop this before it's too late! I won't let her get completely numb, even if that means I stop her from seeing you!" Molly threatens the older man and Pete couldn't help but have a strong respect for the girl.
He was a lot bigger, definitely stronger and yet she had no problem threatening him if it meant protecting her sister from harm.
"I sincerely hope you do. Kristina is very lucky to have you." Pete tells her softly and Molly couldn't help but think maybe he was on her side too.
XOXOX
While Kristina was busy deflecting ink gun shots, Ethan made his way into City Court House, where he knew Alexis would be all day.
After careful thought and consideration, he came to the conclusion that he needed to let Alexis know his true feelings towards Kristina and how he hoped he could get her approval. He knows they haven't had the best track record but he owes the mother the courtesy of being honest with her.
He finds her sitting on a bench eating something small and walks over to her. She must be on break or had time to spare between court appearances. As he got closer, he couldn't help but be nervous. Every time they've spoken about Kristina, he's been clear he didn't have any romantic intentions; now however, was a different story.
When he gets closer, she still didn't look up from whatever papers she was going through, so he made a polite cough to get her attention. She looks up and is surprised to see him.
"Ethan...well I definitely wasn't expecting to see you here? You're not in any trouble are you?" Alexis had to ask. She liked him, she really did deep down but seeing him in City Court House was not a good sign and her warning bells were going off.
Ethan shook his head softly.
"No ma'am, I actually came here to talk to you and I know I should have called instead but I don't have your number; you don't have to be anywhere right now do you?" He couldn't help but ramble nervously which Alexis must have sensed because she gave him a small smile and moved some of her papers out of the way so he could sit.
"No, it's okay I don't have to be in court for another hour. Sit down." She told him softly but with her natural authority that Ethan instantly recognized. He sat down and ran his hand through his hand to calm himself.
"What's on your mind Ethan?" She asked him gently. She knew that must be about Kristina because she has never seen him look so scared to talk to her in their time knowing each other; not even when she believed he was the one hurting her middle child.
"I like Kristina. I really, really like her. I don't know when my feelings for her became less platonic towards something romantic but I like her and thought I owed you the courtesy to tell you truthfully before I made any other moves." He blurted out and Alexis' eyes couldn't help but widen at the young man's confession.
She knew that Ethan did care about Kristina. He may have always liked her romantically but suppressed it but Alexis could always see his infatuation with her daughter, which is why she tried to keep them away from each other. Yet, Kristina is almost nineteen years old and she is mature enough to make her own choices as far as love was concerned; plus, she could do a lot worse than Ethan.
"Well, I do thank you for your honesty when it comes to my daughter. Now could you explain to me why the two of you aren't speaking?" She asked him because as usual she was in the dark about what was going on and even Molly refused to tell her this one.
Ethan took a deep breath and explained everything. Her stopping by the Haunted Star, Skye showing up, Kristina overhearing him tell Skye he felt sorry for her, how she started blowing him off, their talk at the park, even him admitting to Molly that he did care about Kristina romantically. He told her how he was afraid of people constantly judging his friendship with Krissy so he kept getting defensive that he wasn't taking advantage of her, how she got him fired from working for Johnny so he would be safe from Johnny's work as well as Sonny's men. How he was afraid of Sonny and his men sending him a message that Kristina was to be left alone, how he knew he wasn't good enough for her but couldn't live without her. He told her everything.
Alexis listened and tried not to interrupt to Ethan's re caption of the past two and a half months. She wanted to hit him, laugh at him, and give him a hug at the same time. She can see how much this is killing him just as much as she can see how miserable Kristina was.
"I want to prove to her I'm serious about her Alexis. I want to be with her and this time I'm not going to let anyone's opinions effect us...except yours of course." He says sheepishly making her smile a little more.
She put her hand on his shoulder in a motherly comforting manner.
"I really need to think more about this whole thing. I'm still not sure I approve of a relationship but I'm grateful for you coming to me for permission even though Kristina is technically an adult." She expressed and Ethan couldn't help but feel relieved.
It wasn't an approval but it wasn't a flat out no either. He had hope.
"What are you doing for Thanksgiving?" Alexis suddenly asks him and he looks at her confused for a minute but then smiles.
"Not a thing." He answers.
XOXOX
Later that night, as Kristina looks at the beautiful arrangement of flowers next to her bed, she grabs her phone and clicks on Johnny's contact information.
"Hey, what's up Kris?" Johnny's voice fills her ear and she gives a half smile even though she knows he can't see it.
"I just wanted to thank you so much for the flowers you brought me. They're beautiful." Kristina says sincerely.
Johnny is silent for a minute and Kristina runs her hand through her hair as she waits for him to respond. She hopes he doesn't think she's hitting on him.
"Oh Krissy, I didn't send you anything. Someone sent you flowers?" He tells her not wanting her to get nervous that the flowers were a threat or anything. In their family lives, anything could be threatening and he doesn't want her to get the wrong idea.
Kristina frowns.
"Yeah, I got flowers today and they said they were from you..." She says hesitantly and recalls the note the flowers came with.
"That's so weird, but it wasn't me. Funny though, I was just telling Ethan about this great flower place I go to when I need to get flowers for someone. What a coincidence." While he had Kristina on speaker he sent a message to Ethan telling him good job on the flowers, then Molly telling her Phase 1 of Ethina was a success.
Kristina says nothing and yet she can't stop looking at the flowers and how they look like the night sky.
"Well, whoever sent them wanted you to have credit for them so thank you again. I'll talk to you soon." Kristina says before she hangs up the phone.
The flowers are beautiful. She remembers hearing Molly tell her they were Larkspurs and Gardenias. She slowly opens up her internet browser and looks up the meanings of the flowers.
Larkspur: Pure of heart, love, affection, strong attachment, desire for laughter. Gardenias: Trust, hope, purity, dreams, protection, renewal.
Kristina looks up from her phone with tears in her eyes. Could she really believe that Ethan sent these to her, and if he did why would he say they were from Johnny?
Should she call him and ask him?
TBC
Thanksgiving's up next.