A/N: I know it's been a long, long time. Sorry. I'm having a hard time, since I'm not enjoying the show at all. So if anyone is still interested this is Chapter 30. Enjoy!

"Well that was an unmitigated disaster." Alexis throws open the doors to the living room and heads straight for the bar.

"For whom?" Nikolas smirks.

"I had a great time…sorry to interrupt yours." I laugh. I plop down on the leather sofa and remove my heels. "Sorry Emily got paged, Nikolas."

"Comes with the territory, she's low man on the totem poll as they say. I hope there's nothing to be concerned about, since Robin had to leave too."

"Yeah, her poor date." I try not to laugh.

"Enough. It's late. I'm going to bed. I suggest you two do the same." Alexis grabs a bottle of chardonnay and flounces past us.

"Yes Ma'am." We answer in unison, laughing as she slams the doors behind her.

"May I have this dance?" Cruz asked suddenly.

"You dance?" I was surprised. Jason hated dancing. He'd do it for me, but mostly when we were alone, and almost exclusively slow dances.

"I grew up with four sisters. They had to practice with someone."

"Okay, sounds good." He took my hand and we returned to be ballroom just in time to see Sonny enter with Robin on his arm. It caused a bit of a hiccup throughout the room, but only momentarily.

Cruz led me to the dance floor, where we joined roughly a third of the guest. Alexis was dancing with the Mayor. I'd never seen her dance before, and was impressed with how good she was. Of course as Cruz and I passed I realized they were arguing some ridiculous case.

Nikolas and Emily maneuvered over to us. Nikolas leaned in and stage whispered. "They were boring the table to tears, I told them to take it to the dance floor."

"What's up with Sonny and Robin?" I blurted, forgetting about Emily's not so distant relationship with him.

"Oh, they're old friends." Emily answered easily. "Patrick had an emergency procedure, and didn't want Robin to waste the tickets."

I tried to read Emily for signs of distress or jealousy, but found none. How had she managed to get over him so quickly? I was in awe. Until I saw the way she looked at Nikolas. Then I understood.

"So…you and Emily looked really great together. Anything happening there?"

"I…uh….I don't know." Nikolas answers. "Maybe, but right now I have other priorities."

"Like?"

"Spenser."

"Emily is great with kids."

"I realize that, but I'm still getting to know him…and he's still getting to know me and adding another person to the equation right now, doesn't seem fair."

"Oh…" I decide to let him off the hook for the night, and quickly change the subject before he can bring up Cruz. "So whatchya think about Alexis?"

"I'm trying very hard not to think about it at all, thank you very much." He smiles and I fall back against the couch laughing again.

"Sam you look beautiful."

"Thanks Monica. Have you met Cruz?"

"Yes, I believe you've arrested my son once or twice." Monica offered her hand.

"Monica!" Alan admonished her.

Cruz smiled. "Once or twice." He agreed.

"Sam, how is school?"

"How did you…Dillon." I answered my own question.

"And LuLu actually. You two are in the same English class. Is professor Marquez as awful as LuLu seems to think?"

"Pete? No…I like him. I was so nervous my first week, I wanted to drop the class, but he said to do my best and if I was still uncomfortable by midterm that I could audit instead but since I got a B on my first paper, he said that deal is off."

Our conversation was cut off by the announcement of dinner. Shortly after the main course arrived Emily's pager went off. Across the room Robin rose at the same time and left. Cruz pushed at the food on his plate then leaned into me. "Ask your cousin to dance…I'll be back in a while."

"Were you paged too?"

"No, but I have something to take care of. I'll be back."

The music started up again a few minutes later, and unprompted Nikolas asked me to dance. He too was an excellent dancer and I found myself really enjoying the dance, not having to worry about saying the wrong thing, or having lettuce in my teeth, or even stepping on his toes. But really, I hadn't worried about those things with Cruz either. Huh.

I glanced over to our table to see that Alexis' and Mayor Floyd seats were long abandoned. "Are they dancing again?"

It took Nikolas a minute to figure out who they were, but he answered "Well one of them is." He nodded over to Mayor Floyd waltzing with Amanda Barrington. Obviously schmoozing for campaign funds.

"You don't think Mom snuck off with Cruz do you?" I joked.

Nikolas looked shocked…then grinned. "What if she did?"

"More power to her. He's cute."

"It wouldn't bother you?"

"You don't think?"

"No, I don't think. But would it bother you? You two seem to be having a pretty good time tonight."

"I'm not really ready for anything…it would be unfair for me to be jealous. And for better or worse Alexis and I do have very similar taste in men." Understatement of the century.

Nikolas rolled his eyes. "Yes, unfortunately."

I slapped his chest lightly and we headed back to our seats. My phone was beeping softly as I approached. "Meet in the lobby. Bring Nik 2. Cruz." I read the text message aloud.

"hmm, that's cryptic."

"So?"

"Let's not keep the man waiting." Nikolas ushered me toward the door.

There in lobby was Cruz in his tux, with a pizza, a six pack, and a dvd. I started laughing uncontrollably. Cruz smiled "Man, was that chicken dry or what?"

"I can't believe you did this!" I hugged him impulsively.

"Me neither, but I'm glad you did, I'm starving." Nikolas added. "You don't mind me tagging along?"

"Not at all man. Actually, I was kinda hoping…" Cruz looked around… "I mean, I don't think it would go over well if we ate this in the lobby."

"No problem. We own a suite for business purposes, we can eat there and watch…." Nikolas looked at the movie. His eyebrow shot up. "It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.?"

"It's the 50th anniversary." Cruz explained.

"A true classic!" Nikolas smiled. "Shall we?"

We attacked the pizza in the elevator. Hawaiian! My personal favorite.

"How could you have never seen this?" Cruz asked as we left the elevator and headed to the penthouse.

"He had a very sheltered childhood." I explained.

"I guess so…" Cruz broke off. The door was now wide open. Too wide open. Nikolas was frozen where he stood. Cruz almost dropped the beer. In the middle of the room stood Sonny Corinthos leaning over a woman whose hands were cupping his ass. I knew those hands. I knew that dress.

"Mother!"