I like my version of Alex better than the one on GH, so I'm keeping her this way. And I don't see myself killing her off at any time in the near future.

Alex and Noah were chatting softly to each other as everyone (sans Gabriel who was singing a Celtic lullaby to the drowsy girl.) exited Emma's room, and converged onto the rapidly filling nurses' hub on the tenth floor. To think that the niece she had met as a twenty-something muddling her way through medical school had gone on to touch so many lives. It made Alex unspeakably proud.

"Kristina, can I talk to you for a second?"

"Sure, Patrick." Kristina followed him to the benches and sat down a bit too heavily to maintain her grace. "What's up?"

"Listen, I know you have the best of intentions, but I would appreciate it if you didn't make promises to my daughter that you don't intend to keep."

"But I do intend to keep it or I wouldn't have said anything."

"How could you possibly? You know as well as I do that the Quartermaine funds have been frozen."

"I'm not talking about the Quartermaine check, I looked elsewhere."

By this time, Lucy had drifted over. "Yoo-hoo, hi there. Are you talking about what I think you're talking about? Because I sure hope so."

"We were actually having a bit of a private conversation," Patrick said.

"About the revitalization of the Nurses' Ball. And as head of the Committee for the Revitalization of the Nurses' Ball, I feel like I should be included, don't you, Dr. Drake."

Before Patrick could answer in the negative, the distinctively Southern voice of an impeccably made-up woman did it for him. "Don't worry, handsome, you'll get used to Lucy. We all did, eventually."

"Tiff," Bobbie and Katherine cried, running to embrace the woman. The three of them jumped up and down like a group of schoolgirls returned from summer vacation. "Oh, it's so nice to see you!"

"Very, er, nice," Lucy agreed. "All the way from jolly old Ireland. Now, let's see that check."

Kristina handed it over. Felix whistled from over Lucy's shoulder. "That sure is a lot of zeros."

"I'll say. This is the biggest donation the Nurses' Ball has ever gotten! Oh, this year's wardrobe is going to be fab. Absolutely fab."

"Wardrobe," Alex repeated. "You're worried about your wardrobe? Am I the only one hearing this?"

"Well, you see, Dr…"

"Marick."

"Dr. Marick, I realize this is your first Nurses' Ball, but my wardrobe changes are, well, they're rather legendary."

Bobbie laughed. "No, Lucy, what's legendary is your ability to end up in your underwear by the end of the night."

Patrick gaped at Elizabeth. "Tell me Bobbie's kidding."

"She's not," Elizabeth replied.

"She could show up wearing a potato sack for all I care. As I understand it, The Nurses' Ball is about my niece's legacy. Donating money towards HIV/Aids research."

"Lucy knows that Maxie Jones is donating the gowns from Crimson," Monica assured Alex.

This calmed Alex slightly. "Yes, Director Jones said Anna was his daughter's godmother."

"And there she is now," Monica beckoned. "Maxie will you please settle something for us?"

"If I can, sure."

"Will you let Lucy know that the closet of Crimson has plenty of gorgeous gowns for her to choose from without skimming cash from whoever's underwriting the Nurses' Ball?"

"Of course it does. That is if Erica Kane hasn't driven the magazine into the ground in the next couple of weeks."

"Oh God," groaned Alex, "that is the absolute last name I need to hear right now."

"You weren't the one on the phone with her all morning," Maxie commiserated. "See, my boss, Connie is a little, let's call it 'indisposed' right now, and—"

"And do you think Erica might actually come to the Ball?" Lucy gushed, "I should send her a flyer now that it's back on!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kristina advised. "The person I convinced to help us knows Erica and doesn't like her very much."

Lucy looked deflated, but Alex had to credit this person with sense, whoever they were. She felt fingers clasp her wrist. It was the redheaded child she had seen outside. "Yes?"

"Are you my Aunt Anna? You look like her picture."

"No, darling," Tiffany kissed Anastasia's temple, "this is Dr. Marick. She's Aunt Anna's twin, another friend of Mommy and Daddy's who takes very good care of your Aunt Laura. Can you say 'hi'?"

"Hello."

"Hello, darling, you can call me Alex. All of you, call me Alex. I don't have privileges here."

"Yet," finished Monica. "A situation I fully intend to rectify. You are staying, aren't you?"

"For a little while I am," said Alex, at the same a newly reappeared and limping Frisco replied, "No, she can't."

"What are you doing here?" Maxie cried. "And why are you limping?"

Alex looked at Frisco with what was clearly a long-suffering grimace. "Would you excuse us for a moment?" Her shoes clicked sharply on the floor, and when she spoke again, her voice was crisply polite.

"Director Jones, I wasn't aware that when I allowed the WSB to commandeer my clinic for what is admittedly a noble purpose, I was also giving you carte blanche over my life choices. I pride myself on my ability to acquire exemplary staff and leave the patients in excellent hands. Age and family have taught me one of life's greatest lessons: There is more to life than medicine itself. New York and Paris are seven hours apart by air, and you'll have to accept that I will go back if I am needed. Not all of us value the mission over our family."

"How dare you say that to me!"

"I believe I just did. Goodbye, Director Jones."

"All right, I'll go, but I'm taking—" He mouthed the word Leora, "back to Paris with me."

"And away from the only family she knows. I'm the only one she trusts despite two years with my colleagues."

"And you've brought her perilously close to David Hayward."

"I know you did a dossier on me before you chose to bring me in on the Project Orpheus mission. You know all about the years I spent training to kill Anna. And you've seen for yourself that there is nothing rusty about my hand-to-hand combat. As for David Hayward, Anna and I are her best protection."

"I can see how Anna's position as commissioner would be helpful, but you will have to fill me in."

"It's very simple really. We didn't make the best of coworkers. He thinks I'm a certified psychotic after I threatened to snap his scrawny neck and put him in a wheelchair forever."

Frisco whistled. "That'll do it."

"Lucas!" Anastasia called, running toward her cousin.

"Anastasia" Lucas squatted to hug her. "How're you doing, sweetie?"

"Good, We're here for Cousin Robin."

"That's right. Which brings me to my last point. The lab's dedication to Dr. Scorpio-Drake will be in an hour. Meet back here," he told the interns.

"Now get back to work!" barked Epiphany. "Scatter."

"You know," said Monica when they were gone, "if you make those interns pee their pants, I'm making you clean it up."

"Sorry, dealing with Dr. Westbourne puts me in a really pissy kind of mood."

A laughing Lucas's eyes fell on Sean. "Why are you in a wheelchair, Uncle Sean?"

An uncomfortable look passed over Sean's face. "Oh, you know, old age."

"Old age?" Lucas repeated.

Tiffany sighed. She seemed to be swallowing words she didn't want to say around her daughter. "Griff, could you take Annie for a little walk while the four of us talk for a while?" The handsome

"Sure. Hey, Anastasia, how about we go find the best vending machine in this place?"

"That's a great idea," Tiffany agreed unearthing some money from her purse.

"I'll show you where it is," offered Kristina, "I have to get something from my locker anyway."

"No, you don't!" Epiphany argued. "You were already late as it is. I ought to call the judge."

"Oh, come on, Epiphany, please? It's something that's supposed to cheer the commissioner up."

"Cheer me up?" asked an approaching Anna. "That's kind of you, Kristina. Really it is, but I'm afraid it's a bit of a tall order." Anna's gaze drifted over to the blinds drawn over the window in the room Gabriel and Leora sat watching Emma sleep.

Alex sighed and brushed her sister's shoulder. "Whatever it is, give it a chance. You look like you could use it. How was the teacher's conference?"

"I was going to ask the same thing," Patrick admitted.

"Well, good, because I need to talk to the both of you. I had a little conversation with the school nurse—"

"Nobody's in here," Monica announced, shutting the door of the conference room behind everyone. "Now tell us what's going on."

Sean swallowed. "This isn't easy for me. Monica, Lucas, I'm dying. And I came here so that I can make sure that Tiffany and Annie will be taken care of."

"What he's trying to say is that he's given up, a fact I simply don't accept."

Lucas raised his hand. "I'm with Aunt Tiff, but I do have one question. Who is this Griffin guy?"

"He's a priest," said Sean. "My spiritual advisor. He thinks I should be buried among friends."

Tiffany shook her head. "Griffin is a former priest who recently finished medical school in Ireland. He does believe Sean should be buried among friends if it comes to that, but what he said is we should give medicine one more chance."

Monica nodded. "I like the guy already. See, Edward used to have a saying…"

"It's not over 'til the fat lady sings?" Lucas offered.

"No. It's not over 'til a Quartermaine says it is."