Inevitable

General Hospital

Pairing: Michael and Willow

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Summary: There was always a connection between them, they just needed a push, A push they got by the two people who loved them enough to let them go.

Author's Note: I've always shipped these two so the prospect of them actually getting married is very exciting even if it's not for love... yet. This is what inspired the story. I also began writing this story before they did get married so there are some differences. Please forgive these.

-x-

2023

The sun shined through the curtains of their bedroom doors that led out to the balcony. Willow tried her very best to ignore them but they were rather bright and she found she couldn't ignore them especially since they were a reminder that she had something very important to do before her husband got up.

Willow gently rolled over to look at him. Michael lay on his stomach, his preferred sleeping position, with his blonde hair in wild tufts sticking up all over the place. It was moments like this when she loved her life the most. The small things only she got to see. The fact that she knew he liked to hit the snooze button exactly 3 times before he was able to get out of bed. The things about him that made him hers and he was going to be hers for the rest of their lives.

Life had taken quite the surprising twists in the last few years.

Only 3 years before, Willow was heartbroken over finding the man she loved, Chase in the arms of Sasha. She's been shocked. It come out of the blue. No signs had led up to it

It had led to their immediate break up which then led to her agreeing to marrying Michael. It wasn't until a while later she and Michael had figured out that's why they'd done it.

Chase and Sasha had done it to free she and Michael so they'd get married without guilt and be able to defeat Nelle in the custody battle.

It had worked. Michael and Willow decided to get married.

Even though it had been for the case of Wiley's custody, the two had gotten married in style. The Quartermaines and Corinthos had made sure they got married as lavishly as possible on the fly. It wasn't like anything Willow would've imagined her wedding would be like but it had been beautiful. As she had walked down the stairs into the living room, Willow had to admit her new in-laws knew how to throw a glamorous party together.

However, the best part had been Michael. He looked extremely handsome. His suit looked so good on him that it made her heart flutter just a little which she hadn't been expecting to happen.

Yet, it was the look in Michael's eyes the captivated her the most.

Willow felt like she was the only girl in the world in that moment. She finally reached him, they went through the traditional vows, and exchanged rings. Willow felt honored that her ring was once worn by his great-grandmother Lila Quartermaine. It had been the thing that made her feel like she was really becoming a member of the family.

Both parts of Michael's families had gathered at the Quatermaine mansion. She's worn one of Brooklynn's dresses that was so breathtaking that Willow couldn't have ever ever envisioned it for herself.

Then they were announced husband and wife before Michael was instructed to kiss his bride. It was their very first kiss and it had given her a mix of surprising feelings. She'd felt slightly guilty because she did still feel something for Chase but the thrill that ran up her spine and her instinct to get closer to extend the kiss had her very confused.

It was her first clue that there might be something more between she and Michael than the respect and loving friendship they'd told themselves.

The longer they were together, the more obvious that what was between them wasn't for show. It wasn't for the custody battle. So about six months into their marriage, they both admitted to having feelings for each other and began a true relationship. They'd been a couple ever since.

As for the custody case, the marriage had worked in their favor but unsurprisingly, Nelle tried to pull the same stunt by marrying Julian Jerome at so very the last minute that she'd been late to the first court appearance. Nelle said she'd chosen Julian because he'd loved Wiley as his grandson and the truth hadn't changed his love for the child. Martin Gray tried to equate Nelle marrying Julian to Michael marrying Willow. However, that entire argument had been blown out of the water when it was revealed by Brad that Julian had been his accomplice in the baby swap cover up.

Willow and Michael were granted full custody of Wiley and Nelle's visitation was limited to 3 court supervised hour long visits every six weeks.

However, Nelle attempted to kidnap Wiley six months after the ruling, assaulting the court supervisor badly in the process but she'd still managed to sound the alarm. Nelle barely got anywhere before she was caught. This prompted Willow and Michael to sue to have Nelle's parental rights stripped permanently and she never be allowed near the minor child or have any say in his upbringing as she was a clear danger to his physical and mental wellbeing.

Nelle had put up a fight, she even tried to smear Willow's name as well as their marriage, and thought Chase would testify against them to get some sort of revenge for them getting married less than 3 weeks after their break up.

However, that had completely backfired on Nelle as things were all good between them especially as Chase had found happiness with Maxie Jones. The two had gotten together after Chase had been the one to bust Peter August a.k.a. Heinrich Faison. He'd then been extradited to The Hague by Interpol.

He was exposed for a multitude a crimes which had immediately ruined his relationship with Maxie, leaving her looking for a good man instead of liar and murderer. That man had proven to be Chase, and even if he hadn't, the truth was Willow and he had gotten to a really good place as friends and accepting their time together had only been meant for that short time before they got to be with their real soulmates.

So he praised Willow and Michael as wonderful parents and by placing him on the stand, Martin Gray had accidentally opened the door for Diane to introduce Nelle's sordid history with Chase. Ultimately, Diane and her legal prowess proved well worth her exorbitant fee.

Nelle was stripped of her parental rights because of the judge believed Brad, who had testified in an attempt again to make amends for Michael and Willow, that it was Nelle that had come up with the baby swapping. The judge said that just because she had never served time for that, she had served time for attempting to kill Michael and killing her first fiancé which made her a danger to Wiley's safety both physically and emotionally.

Only a couple of months later, Willow applied for and was granted approval to adopt Wiley.

Now she was his mother in every way possible, Michael, Willow and Wiley were officially a family,

They were the next generation of Quartermiane-Corinthos. Willow had taken Michael's name when they gotten married even though she hadn't been in love with him then so they could present a more united front against Nelle.

Now, Willow was proud to Mrs. Michael Corinthos. Although, she was technically Willow Quartermaine-Corinthos as were both Michael and Wiley but they all went by Corinthos as it was such a mouth full.

After they had declared their feelings, she and Michael had started to date since they had gotten married without doing that beforehand.

Willow kept her head rested next to her husband's as she thought back to like the rest of their relationship, their first official date wasn't typical.

It had been an unforgettable one since it was one of the first times since getting married that Willow had really felt like a real part of the Corinthos family; it was one of the first times she really felt like Michael's wife since it wasn't for show anymore. The date had been the wedding of his Uncle Jason and a very pregnant Sam.

It had been inspiring to see these two people who'd overcome so much, as Michael had basically told her their whole story, to come out on the other side even stronger with a growing family.

Willow smiled as she thought about Sam's pregnancy. Only a short week after they'd gotten remarried, Sam had given birth to baby twin girls. As Willow lay in bed, she sighed contently and turned toward her husband even more, she ran a hand lightly down his handsome features. Willow did that for a few more minutes before her excitement got the best of her especially with the thoughts of Sam floating through her head.

She tuned toward the nightstand and opened her drawer then pulled out the little stick she'd been hiding for two days.

Willow stared at the two pink strips in the window on the stick.

She was pregnant.

She and Michael were going to have a baby of their own.

Before Willow could get lost in her happy thoughts and the anticipation of Michael's reaction, she heard her son waking up down the hall. They still used the monitor but Wiley was getting bigger everyday and such he was also getting louder, so they didn't really need it to know when he was awake.

Willow turned over, threw the covers off, and put her feet on the floor. She put on her robe and her slippers then padded down the hallway to her little boy's room.

He was sitting up in his big boy race car bed. Wiley instantly smiled at her.

"Morning Mama."

Willow's heart warmed every time he called her that. She entered the room and sat on the bed next to him.

"Hey, sweetie." She ruffled his long, curly blonde hair, and his smile grew bigger.

"We gonna surprise Daddy now?" Wiley asked.

"What, I don't even get a hug good morning?" She teased.

Wiley threw his small arms around her middle and squeezed tightly. "Morning Mommy, love you."

She held him tightly to her and happy tears stung her eyes knowing the Wiley was essentially hugging his baby brother or sister.

"Now can we surprise Daddy?"

Willow smiled, "You want to?"

He nodded vigorously before he practically leaped out of the bed.

"Let me put on my shirt."

Willow had gotten Wiley a shirt that read, "I'm going to be a big brother."

She hadn't told him what it said or why it was a surprise but she told him that what it said was a secret she could only tell him with his Daddy.

Only a minute later, Wiley was changed into his shirt. Willow took his hand and walked down the hall again, "Okay, let's go show Daddy."

Michael hadn't moved an inch when Willow and Wiley entered the bedroom. Wiley jumped up on his Dad as he lay in bed and he landed with a resounding thud. Michael immediately reacted with a groan from the weight being put on him suddenly yet he still wasn't very alert. Wiley began pushing on him and yelling at him to get up.

"Daddy, wake up. Daddy, wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Wake up. Mommy wants you to read my shirt to me."

This got Michael's attention. His head perked up but it was still squished into the pillow.

"What's going on now?" Michael asked as he flipped over onto his back then propped himself up against the headboard. He had a confused look on his furrowed brow and he locked eyes with her.

She smiled coyly at him.

"You heard your son. Mommy wants you to read his shirt."

Michael looked at her with skepticism but did as he was told, "Okay, buddy, show me your shirt."

Wiley stood up on the bed and spread his shirt out so Michael could see all of it. It took only a second for him to read it then his look of confusion turned to wonder and surprise.

He stared back up at her.

"Seriously?"

"Yeah." Willow said as pulled the test out of her robe's pocket, "I'm positive."

"Daddy! You're supposed to tell me what it says. Mommy said it was a secret only you could tell me. What's the secret?"

Michael pulled Wiley onto his lap as Willow joined them on the bed. He reached over and grasped Willow's hand.

"Wiley, it says that you're going to be a big brother. Mommy's going to have a baby. What do you think, little man?"

Wiley squealed with joy and began jumping on the bed again. "I'm getting a baby sister?"

"Or a brother. We won't know for a while yet, buddy." Michael answered.

Wiley looked at Willow then back at his dad and said, "No, Daddy, I know I'm getting a little sister."

"Oh yeah, you're that sure! Huh?" Michael said as he pulled him down onto the bed then he began tickling Wiley who immediately started giggling and squirming trying to escape his father's hands.

"Mommy save me. Save me!"

"I don't know, I love being a tickle monster too!" Willow said as she joined Michael in tickling their son.

"No, Mommy! Stop it!" Wiley yelled but in a way that belied that he was really enjoying it and didn't want them to stop.

After a few moments, Michael and Willow eventually did quit. Wiley settled down then he looked at Willow.

"So you have my baby sister in your belly, right?"

Willow nodded as she padded her stomach with a warmth spreading through her heart knowing under her hand was their unborn baby.

"How did she get in there?" Wiley asked.

Michael and Willow looked at each other awkwardly. The two had a silent conversation between them before answering.

"Uh, you know what, kiddo… that's a question we'll answer when you're a lot older, okay?"

Wiley quieted for a little while as if debating if he'd accept that or not but eventually, he nodded his head, "Okay, Mommy. Can I go play on my iPad, now?"

"Only for a half hour, got it?" Willow answered before Wiley jumped off the bed and ran out of the room.

Willow turned to Michael who was staring at her with such love and adoration in his hazel almost green eyes. The smile on his face so bright that it immediately brought one to her own. Michael brushed the hair off her face then cupped her cheek and ran his thumb over her skin. She leaned into his hand as she smiled.

"So, we're having a baby?" Michael asked. She nodded before he leaned in and softly kissed her lips but Willow could feel all of his love for her even though the kiss was sweet and short.

He pulled back and cocked his head to the side.

"How could you not tell me you even thought you might be pregnant?"

"Well, I really wasn't sure because I wasn't that late. It was really like barely over a day, I know we haven't exactly been trying but we also haven't not been trying. So I thought I'd just take the test without us getting any hopes up and I really didn't expect it but then when it came out positive. And then I wanted to make the moment memorable when I told you."

"Oh, babe, finding out we're having our second child was always going to be memorable but you made it even more special by including our son. I love you so damn much."

Michael then leaned in and placed his lips on hers in a kiss that started out sweet and chaste but quickly turned passionate. She wrapped her arms around his neck as he laid her back onto the bed. He pushed his hand under her robe and her sleep shirt, tracing circles into her abdomen.

Willow smiled against Michael's lips then she pulled back, "That tickles."

"Does it tickle you or our baby?"

Michael untied her robe completely then moved his face down to her stomach, he slowly pulled up the Yankeesl t-shirt of his that she'd confiscated as her sleep shirt years ago then kissed just above her belly button.

"So do you really think Wiley's right about it being a girl, what does your motherly instincts tell you?"

"I don't think they work like that but I can't believe he's so sure, if it does turn out to be a girl he's probably never going to let us forget, you know that right?"

"I think our son takes after you so that means he's probably right since you usually are, too."

Willow shook her head, "Okay, what are you after? You're usually only this flattering when you want something."

Michael shook his head as he raised it and laid next to her on the bed with his arm propping it up. He picked up her left hand and fiddled with her ring.

"I've got everything I want, more than I ever thought I'd ever have for the longest time. You, Wiley, and now another baby on the way. I love the life we've got so much it sometimes feels like it can't be real because I'm so happy."

Willow put one hand on his face, rubbing her thumb across his morning scruff, and said, "Michael, you give me just as much happiness and I assure that it's all very real. I love you, so much… I'm glad you got stupid enough to sleep with Nelle because without her, we wouldn't have Wiley and we wouldn't have had to get married to protect him and look at where it all led?"

"Willow, that's all just semantics. The way I feel about you, I think a part of me has always felt about you… this, us, it was inevitable."

Michael leaned back down to kiss Willow who eagerly accepted before they were interrupted by the sounds of something crashing in the kitchen. They pulled apart after a few moments and just stared a each other. She felt the content happiness surround her, and she thought over her early musing about when she'd known this marriage hadn't just been about Wiley's custody.

"You know, I think it was after you kissed me when we were married that I knew it hadn't been all about protecting Wiley from Nelle. The truth is that our connection has always been leading us to this, I know that now. We just weren't meant to be conventional, kind of like your parents weren't conventional or your uncle Jason and Sam, basically most of the couples we know that genuinely love each other that didn't have the traditional start to their love stories. Maybe it's the little known secret to finding your soulmate, throw traditional and conventional rules out the window. Since I really love our story. Inevitable is a perfect word to describe it, to describe us.."

Michael nodded and leaned back down to capture Willow's lips in another passionate kiss which was quickly interrupted by a crash from the living room.

"Mommy! Daddy! I made a mess!" Wiley yelled.

Willow and Michael just looked at each with incredulity. "And now we're having another."

"And he'll have a partner in crime." Willow quipped.

However, their smiles said that they couldn't be happier about that fact as they got up to join their son and clean up whatever mess he'd made. Both feeling like they were exactly where they were always meant to be which is why it didn't matter how they'd gotten there. They'd been heading toward each other and their life together because it was true:

They were inevitable.

-x-

The End