A/N – Thanks for the comments! So, I figured everyone would remember Ronnie Dimestico from the show (cop PCPD), so I didn't put his last name, but I went back and did because people were questioning it.

Chapter 5

Francis hopes that Johnny isn't going to lose it completely.

"I sent her to Ireland to recover. When they told her she was pregnant, she was in her second trimester and she freaked. They convinced her to do an ultrasound and that is when they figured out the date of conception. Luckily, the meds they had her on didn't damage the baby and she stayed there and learned to cope with what happened. Once the baby was born, she was doing much better and we talked almost every day. There was some trouble in Ireland and some idiot was stalking her, so I needed her near me. I wouldn't ever forgive myself if she was hurt again. When I picked her up at the airport, I finally met the little one."

"What is her name?"

"Why don't I let her tell you herself?" Francis isn't sure how this is going to go. Johnny is about to get the shock of a lifetime.

Nicole entered the barn carrying a baby.

Johnny's eyes raked over them and then their gaze locked. "You look beautiful."

Her blues eyes shined brightly. "Thanks."

His eyes drifted to the little blonde girl in her arms.

"This is Alaina."

"That's my mother's name."

"I know." Tears spring into her eyes. "I'm sorry."

Alaina is fixated on Johnny and she takes his breath away. While she mostly looks like her mother, her orbs are all him.

His eyes prick with tears. "Is she mine?" The color of her eyes are a little bluer then hazel and green, but they all mixed together to create perfection.

"Yes."

He struggles not to cry. "May I hold her?"

She kisses the baby on the forehead and then hands her to her dad.

"She's beautiful."

The baby smiles and pats his face.

"Hey, beautiful. I'm your dad."

"Dada…"

He grins and then the enormity of the situation hits him. "I'm a father."

Francis moves towards him. "Why don't I take her to look at the cows while you talk?"

Johnny kisses her before reluctantly letting her go and as Francis disappears, the anger he had been holding back surfaces and like a flip of a switch, he goes on the attack.

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Emily cautiously approached Elizabeth. "Hey."

Liz glanced up and then continued scrubbing the stain on the table. "Hi."

"How can I fix this? I miss you."

With a heavy sigh, she ceased her movements. "Emily…"

"Please—I'll do anything. I know I screwed up." She just wants to have some fun with Liz like they used to and leave all the stress behind them.

"You asked a doctor to speak to me, totally betraying my confidence."

"Can you honestly say that if I had told you that I was seeing a dead person, that you wouldn't have done anything you could to help me?"

Liz met her gaze. "I don't know." Maybe she would have done the same thing, but it still doesn't mean she would have been right.

Emily momentarily shut her eyes. "You're my best friend and I was scared and couldn't lose you too. You've been through so much and I panicked. I'm so sorry and I promise that it won't happen again."

"Okay." Before she could speak again, Emily's arms are wrapped around her. "I love you, Elizabeth."

Liz squeezed back, realizing how much she had missed her friend. "I love you too."

Emily retreated but left her hands on Liz's arms. "Now, will you come to the rave on Saturday?"

Liz's brow rose. "Did you just tell me that you love me just to get me to go to a party?"

"No! I mean—" Her eyes narrow when Liz can't hold her smile back anymore.

"Are you two done your lovefest? As much as I like girl on girl action, I'm starving over here," a customer yelled.

"Ewwww!" they said in chorus.

Tammy rolled her eyes. "Harold, that was just way out of line. I might have to spit in your food."

The other customers chuckled at Harold's fearful expression.

"Got ya!"

He shook his head and looked at the plate she had just put down and back at her a few times as she laughed. "Oh Harold, what am I going to do with you?"

"Take me upstairs?"

"In your dreams…"

Emily chuckled. "So, will you come?"

"I'll try."

"I'll take that as a yes. Bye!" She bolted towards Nikolas who waved at Elizabeth before he's tugged through the doorway.

She waved back and then looked at her phone and smiled. Jason had typed that he was done using the little boy's room, so she answered, "Good boy," and then got back to work.

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Johnny moved closer, trying to hold back his rage. "I can't believe you were going to keep this child from me. Were you ever going to say anything if Francis hadn't of insisted on bringing you here?"

"Every time I looked at her I wanted to."

A tear threatened to fall as he moved closer. "You need to make me understand, Nicole."

"I was such a mess after the rapes that I just retreated into myself. I was getting sick so they took some more tests and discovered that I was pregnant and then I completely lost it. Every time I thought about the baby or felt anything, it was a constant reminder that I was raped and I lost my way. They made sure that the baby was nourished and tried to help me cope. The doctor insisted on me getting a sonogram which was what snapped me out of it. I heard our daughter's heartbeat and knew I had to fight. I couldn't lose another person, so I did whatever I had to in order to be present and deal with what happened." Her voice broke a little and she whimpered for a second and then lifted her eyes to meet his gaze. "When the doctor finally told me my due date, we argued because I didn't think it could be possible, but she insisted and that is when I knew that she was yours. I was so ashamed, Johnny, and just couldn't face you."

"I'm sorry that you were so hurt, but Nicole, I have never judged you."

"I know… I told you I wasn't right in my head. I kept thinking that you wouldn't care because we had talked about kids before and you said you never wanted any."

"God, Nicole!"

"I—I kept thinking that if you turned your back on Alaina as my mom did to me, that—I just couldn't do that to her, so I protected her."

"From me?" He lets out a tortured noise and stands. "I have to get out of here. I don't know if I'm more upset that you had absolutely no faith in me whatsoever, or that you had no intention of ever telling me. Did you ever really know me?"

She watches as a tear trickles down his cheek and when he starts to walk by her, she jumps and holds up her hands like she's scared he is going to hit her and Johnny felt like someone had punched him in the gut. "I take it back, you thinking that I'd ever lay my hands on you like that is even more insulting."

She whimpers as he storms out of the barn and then lets out a tortured sob. "Please don't take her from me!"

Johnny is stunned and then his attention goes to Francis whose eyes are narrowed. "What did you do?"

"What did I do?"

"Don't move…" His voice is deep and lethal as he moves towards the SUV and puts Alaina in her car seat before making sure the door stays open.

"She is fragile. Do you hear her right now?" Her tortured, aching sobs hang in the air like a dense fog.

Johnny looked at the ground. "I don't know what to do or how to feel. This is just so fucked up."

"You get to be mad, but did you listen to her? She was brutally raped by two men and beaten to a pulp and is finally getting her life back. If you are going to make it your mission to hurt her because she made a mistake, then I don't want you anywhere near her. She has been through enough. Figure out if your pride is worth destroying her over because she loved you and is the mother of your child. And if you eventually can't let this go, then I'll be the go-between and you can see your daughter, but I will not let you fuck with my sister's head. Is that clear?"

Johnny wiped his face. "Yeah…" He turned and opened the barn door. "I won't take her away from you. I just need time."

Nicole sucked in a harsh breath. "I'm really sorry, Johnny. You don't know how much."

He turned and left and took one more look at his daughter before getting into his car and driving off.

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When her brief shift ended, Elizabeth took a walk on the docks and is shocked to find Johnny sitting on a bench staring at the water.

"Johnny?"

He didn't say anything, so she sat next to him. "Are you okay?"

When he shook his head and sucked in a sob, she jumped up and hugged him. It is dark and probably not a good place for him to be when he is so distracted.

"Come on," she said pulling him up.

He didn't even protest and she walked him to her studio and they went inside.

"Have a seat."

She went into the cabinet and pulled out a bottle of cognac that Nikolas likes and then poured some in a glass and handed it to him. After he downed it, she sat on the coffee table in front of him. "What happened?"

"There was a girl I was seeing before I came to Port Charles. Apparently, after I left, she was raped and then found out she was pregnant."

Liz's face dropped and she took a deep breath. "Go on."

"It turns out that the baby was mine and she wasn't planning on telling me. They had also beat her and she was a mess for a long time afterward. She had to come back here because of some threats or I don't think she would have told me."

Her heart clenched when he implied there was more than one person. "Why did she do it?"

"She said she was scared and thought I wouldn't want the baby and because her mother left her, she didn't want me to do that to my daughter."

"Ouch…"

"I admit that I had said I didn't want to have kids, but that doesn't mean I'd walk away. And I know her head is messed up right now, but I'm so angry at her. Hell, I'm angry that I didn't get to kill who did this to her. It hurts that she had so little faith in me and then when I went to leave, she cowered like I was going to hit her and I was devastated that she would even think that I would go there."

"Johnny… You don't understand."

"Then please help me…"

Liz got up and started to pace. "It wasn't about you. When something like that happens to you, it changes who you are fundamentally especially when it's violent. Sometimes, you just do the best you can to cope, but you don't feel safe around anyone for a long time. Trust has to be earned all over again and it makes you question everything."

"When?" He is completely thrown that she had been raped too.

"It happened when I was sixteen."

"Elizabeth, I'm so sorry."

"It's—I'm okay now, but I wasn't always."

"You know I'd never hurt you, right?" It suddenly dawns him that she had let someone she doesn't really know that well into her house and it might be intimidating.

"I know you wouldn't hurt me and she knows that too, but sometimes, you just flashback and it's like you're there all over again."

He nodded.

"Even though she hurt you, it was a form of self-preservation, not malice. All your fear just rises to the surface and it's like one big nightmare you can't wake up from."

"How do we get beyond it though? It's not okay with me that she wasn't going to tell me and I realize that she is fragile mentally, but I'm hurting too. I missed so much and I can't get that back."

"But you still have your daughter and you can get to know her and be there for her. For now, just focus on that. What is the baby's name?"

"Alaina."

"That's beautiful."

"It was my mother's name. She died when I was in high school."

"I'm sorry. I think you should go see your little girl tomorrow and start to get to know her and little by little, you and your girl will find a way to deal with everything. And trust me, you can't punish her more than she has already punished herself, no one can."

"I don't want to hurt her."

"Then don't, be her strength and show her that you're not going anywhere; that you want to be a good dad. "

"I don't know how, but I'll try."

Liz smiled. "I knew you would and you'll learn along the way."

He took a deep breath. "Thank you for listening. Is Jason okay?"

"Yes. I was just going back there. Do you want to talk him about it?"

"No. I don't think I can say it all again, at least not for now."

"Well, then it can stay between us if you want."

He shrugged. "I don't mind Jason knowing. He has always been there for me."

She held out her hand. "You can't have too many friends."

He slightly smiled and shook it. "Well then, I'm glad you're one of mine."

"You're going to be a good dad, Johnny. I can feel it."

"Thank you for having faith in me."

"Come on before we get too sappy."

He chuckled. "I'll walk you to your car."

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Jason sat up when he heard the door. "I was about to send out a search party. I actually texted Johnny, but he didn't answer."

"He's a little preoccupied right now. I ran into him on the docks and he was upset."

Jason frowned. "Really?" Johnny is usually upbeat.

Liz sat next to him. "He got some news along with the fact that he is a father and it hit home."

His mouth dropped open. "Johnny O'Brien is a dad?"

"Yup..."

"Who is the mom?"

"I'm not sure. It someone he was with before he moved here. She was taken and some men raped her and she's been pretty messed up. Johnny was upset that she didn't tell him about the baby and I think they may have fought. He's pretty broken up about it." She touched his face. "I should check your temperature."

"Okay. I'll call him later."

"Wait until tomorrow. I think he just needs some time to process."

"That's understandable."

She put the thermometer in his mouth. "Your sister wants me to go to a rave with her Saturday night."

He made a face.

"I know you probably think they are stupid, but I they just want me to have some fun with them. We've been fighting a lot, but she apologized."

She pulled it out. "You're at ninety-nine."

He grunted. "Soon as it hits ninety-eight, I'm out of here."

She grinned. "You really think Epiphany won't know? She probably has a tracking device on you."

He shook his head. "I had Johnny check."

Her laughter filtered throughout the room and he decided that he loves her smile.

"Thank you for being there for my friend."

"It was hard telling him about my rape, but I just wanted him to understand where her head was at. I'd love to meet her. She's a survivor."

He grabbed her hand. "You're a good person, Elizabeth. The fact that you'd put yourself out on a limb to help him, shows that you have a big heart."

She blushed.

"Did you feel like you were being followed today?"

"No. It was fine. Maybe it was my imagination before."

"Promise me that you'll be careful at the rave."

"I will." She realizes they are still holding hands, but makes no move to withdrawal hers. "What if—what if I am losing it?"

"You're not. I trust you."

"Even though I don't trust myself?"

"Yes."

When he doesn't go any further, she laughs.

"What?"

"You're so matter-of-fact sometimes. It's just—refreshing."

He shrugs."I'm not going to lie to you just to make you feel better."

"Thank you."

Instead of responding, he soulfully looks into her eyes until they are interrupted by the phone.

"Hello?"

"It's me. How is the patient?"

Liz smiled. "He's doing much better."

Epiphany smiled. "Good. I'm glad to hear that your bed-side manner is working."

"Epiphany…"

She chuckled. "Put him on the phone."

Liz held it up.

"Miss me?"

She laughed. "I should be asking that question."

"I checked your bed and it didn't look broken to me and I can't figure out how you did it."

Her laughter gets louder. "You are ridiculous. It wasn't that bed."

Jason's eyes narrowed.

"Now don't get upset, I'll show you how to break it when I get back."

"Tease…"

"Only for you…"

He shook his head. "I do miss you, Piph, especially your cooking."

"I knew you were only using me for food."

"And let's not forget the dance lessons…"

"You better be practicing. Liz will play with you."

He glanced at the woman sitting next to him. "That is something I only do with you."

"Is she okay?"

"Yes."

"Good. Now, do you like her—like her?"

"Piph!"

Epiphany giggled. "I'll see you soon and be good—I'll know."

"You too, don't cheat on me." While he wouldn't mind if she found someone to love her, a fling is beneath her because she deserves so much more.

"Never…"

He handed the phone back and Elizabeth eyed him skeptically.

"What?"

"Are you sure that you and Epiphany aren't together?" Her eyebrows are moving up and down and he can't help it and grins.

"What happens in this house stays in this house."

She laughed. "I wouldn't blame you. She's smart, has the best personality, can cook, and is beautiful inside and out."

"True. She is a real catch, but I'm scared she'd break me."

Liz's face turned red as she laughed, making him chuckle. Epiphany isn't the only one who is a real catch.

A/N – So, I used what happened to Liz and Nicole to bond Liz and Johnny and eventually, Liz and Nicole.