A/N Alexis et al, are living at Windemere…everyone knows Manny attacked Sam…

Kristina plays along the waters edge, her dolls long abandoned, she digs a trench for her castle under Alexis' watchful eye. Alexis sits in the shade with Molly sleeping on a blanket inches away. It has been a beautiful afternoon. Alfred's lunch was a little fancier than we had ancipated. Finger sandwiches and silver service, but it all tasted good, Kristina was happy to find PB&J's among the cumcumber sandwiches. I begin to gather the remains of our picnic.

"Sam," Alexis calls"you don't have to do that."

"Is it okay with you if I want to feel useful on occasion?" I snap.

Alexis looks away. Why do I always do that?

"Come, sit." She orders a minute later. "Please." She adds as an afterthought.

I sigh, but don't argue.

"Tell me." She says.

"Tell you what?" I ask.

"I'm not sure, but something is obviously on your mind."

Molly snores softly. We both focus on her for a moment.

"She's so beautiful." I turn my gaze to the sea. "When I was shot…before Jason told you…I kept dreaming about you. The four of us really. You liked me and I was going to tell you, you were my mother, but I never could…"

Alexis nods. "When I first saw you, after Jason told me, you thought you were dreaming. You were so happy…" She stops and wipes at the tears forming in her eyes, "…but then you slipped into a coma. I thought I had lost you again."

Kristina runs to us, and eases herself onto Alexis' lap. "Do you guys like my castle?"

"It's terrific." "Wonderful" Alexis and I agree. Kristina sighs, "I'm sleepy." She snuggles up to Alexis and closes her eyes.

"What happened after I went into the coma?"

Alexis strokes Kristina's hair, without looking at me she says "You know Sam. Dr. Drake operated on you and…"

"No, before that, with Jason."

"Oh, well at first, Jason and I were so frightened and angry…the staff seemed to have given up on you. We insisted on continuing the transfusions. For a while we worked as a team. If it wasn't so terrifying it would have been like old times. Watching you get weaker and weaker, we were both so helpless." Alexis concentrates on Molly's breathing for a minute.

"Elizabeth told Jason she thought Dr. Drake…Patrick…could help you. But pretty much at the same time Noah Drake told me the procedure would be a death sentence. He scared me. When Jason signed for the procedure…I…I guess I sort of lost it."

"How exactly?" I'm not sure I want the answer, but I need to know.

"Hmmm," She starts slowly, then rapidly spits out "I got an injunction stopping Jason's rights as next of kin, had myself named as your temporary guardian, and stopped the operation."

"But Patrick did operate?" I'm confused.

"Yes. And obviously now, I realize they, Jason and Patrick were right, but then…then I didn't see it like that."

"Jason knows me better than anyone Alexis. He knew I'd be willing to take that risk…Why couldn't you have just stayed…"

"Out of it?" Alexis checked her volume after Kristina stirred in her arms. "Let's see. Six hours before my oldest daughter was long dead and buried. Five hours before she was came back into my life. Four hours before she called me "Mom" for the first time. Three hours before she slipped into a coma. Two hours before I heard a doctor tell me this surgery was reckless, unnecessary, and deadly." She's practically shaking. "I just didn't know how to stay out of it."

"I'm sorry." I find myself saying. "I know this has been hard on you." I rest my hand on top of hers. "But they operated anyway." She nods in silent agreement. "That probably ticked you off."

"To put it mildly…I had them all thrown in jail."

"All?" I can't believe my ears.

"Jason, Patrick, Elizabeth, and Epiphany."

"Tell me you're joking. Please."

"No," She says weakly then offers "but I dropped all the charges."

I stand abruptly and back away from her and the girls, so angry I don't know what to do with it. "That was big of you Alexis…considering they had just SAVED MY LIFE!"

"It was actually too soon to know that for sure. But you're right Sam, I over-reacted."

"Ya think?" I walk away. "Wait, why did you let them off? You must have had another reason."

"Well, I'd had you moved by then…"

"And?"

"And I asked Jason to not try and find you."

I knew of course. I knew that she had something to do with Jason vanishing from my life, but this was the first time she'd admitted it. I clench my jaw, turn and look her directly in the eyes. "You had no right."

"I know." She says.

"He won't even talk to me now. Do you have any idea how much that hurts? He was my whole world for two years. He didn't even have to tell you Alexis. He could have let me die without you ever knowing the truth. He's done nothing but pay since he told you."

"I know…I'm grateful…"

"No, don't say it, don't. You aren't grateful. Grateful doesn't look like that. Grateful doesn't slam a door and run."

"Sam, Jason doesn't listen to me. I mean, I told him I wanted him to promise that he could keep you safe. He couldn't. I asked him to stay away, I didn't force him."

I don't understand her, I just don't. "I can't do this. I can't listen to you justify yourself."

"Sam, you need to know, I'd do it all again. Keeping you safe…"

"How am I safe? Do you think that Jason will send out a memo? I'm no longer engaged to Sam McCall, please don't kill her? Do you think that MANNY really cares if I'm with Jason?"

Alexis flinches at the mention of Manny. I try to stop the words as they stumble out of my mouth. She's crying. I can't stand it. "Please don't." I beg.

"Can you, can you please take Kristina back to the house?" She rouses the sleepy 5 year old. "Molly and I will be up in a few minutes." Kristina stands reluctantly. "Go with Sam, baby."

Kristina's too muddled to protest. I take her hand in mine and we head up the path. I'm quiet. She is too. Finally she stops and says. "I wish you and Mommy wouldn't fight."

I kneel down and hug her. "I'm sorry Kristina."

"Mommy has bad dreams."

I don't know where this comes from. Kristina pulls from my embrace and continues quietly up the hill.