The Thursday after the Charity Ball-

ROBIN was standing on the roof of the hospital, taking a break from work. She thought of the patient she just helped to save, how she worked side by side with Patrick, seeing him at his best.

After that, she needed air and space. And time to remember why he wasn't someone she should love.

The door to the roof opened. She glanced over and saw him.

"Hey," he said softly, walking close. He looked down, let out a breath, and then turned to stare out at the city.

"You followed me up here?" Robin asked.

"No." Patrick said

She made a disbelieving sound, though she wasn't really upset.

Patrick smiled, caught. "All right, yeah."

She sighed.

For a while they just stood there, and then finally Robin said, "I want us to work, Patrick."

He looked at her, catching the tone in her voice, the defeat. "But?"

"We don't," Robin said

"We could..."

The first pricks of tears touched her eyes and she turned away, crumbling her face up and trying to not let them fall.

"I wish that was true," Robin said.

His pager went off. He groaned.

"Go," she said

"Robin," he leaned down so he was closer to her, though she refused to meet his eyes, "don't give up yet, okay? Just not quite yet."

He waited another moment, hoping she might say okay. She didn't.

When Patrick was gone Robin wiped her eyes. There was so much push and pull with him, too much for her to stand at times.

And if he would never change...if he was always going to be a womanizer, even if he didn't want to be...if she was always going to have to wonder if she was enough for him or if Bimbo number five , six, seven, ad nauseam was waiting to take her place...maybe it was better to give up now.

You're running scared, Scorpio, you're afraid to feel too much she heard voice from the past say in her mind.

She silently said back to him, What do you know about it, Morgan?

And the Jason who stayed in her subconscious said, I do it all the time.

Her cell phone rang.

Before she answered, Cruz's faced popped into her mind. She smiled. Maybe his voice would be on the other end of the phone and she could think about him, a man who hadn't hurt her.

"Hello?"

"Robin, hi. It's Nikolas. I was wondering if you were free tonight?"

LIZ was not surprised that Pete didn't come back to her studio on Monday with his novel.

But over the next few days she found herself wondering about if that novel existed, what it might be about, she pictured him sitting up late at night typing away, pouring his heart onto the page. She imagined he might put thoughts and feelings into the story that he never expressed aloud.

More and more she started to wish she could see that novel.

She was standing on the docks, drinking coffee, when Pete walked by.

"Elizabeth." he said

She smiled. He hadn't said her name in four days and she missed hearing it.

"On a break from work?" he asked

"Yeah, what about you? Between classes?"

Pete said, "Actually, I was just heading to the store for some more paper. I was in the middle of printing out some of my novel and ran out."

Liz joked, "You need real paper to print an invisible novel?"

"All right," Pete smiled and sat next to her "you were right the other day. Sort of. My novel was not really done then and it still isn't now. But I took the chapters I had and I've been rewriting them this week. I wanted to show you something that was... decent, at least."

"I have no doubt it will be more than decent. As long as you honestly put your soul in it."

He met her eyes, thinking of how they calmed him, and then turned away before he started to get too deep into his dream world where he was different and she was someone who might fall for him.

Pete said, "There wasn't a lot of me in the stuff I had before this week. I hope there is now. Will you read it when I'm done?"

"I'd love to. What's the name of your novel?" She took a sip of her coffee.

"All Is Fair." Pete said

"In love..." Liz finished the phrase. "Is it a romance, then?"

"What would a fungus like me know about love?"

They both chuckled.

Pete said, "It has a little tiny bit of romance in there. But mainly it is a coming of age tale about a young man who moves to New York to pursue his dream."

"I wanted to do that once," she said softly, her mind far away from him now. She thought of Lucky, and promises made years ago. Promises that would stay only dreams now.

Pete saw her expression change into sadness. He tried to cheer her up with a joke.

He said, "I wanted to join the circus once."

She snapped out of her fantasy. "What stopped you?" Her voice was light again.

Pete answered, "They said they had enough monkeys already."

Liz started to laugh, and Pete joined in. Warmth spread from his heart as he watched her, he loved the way this woman looked when she was happy.

AT GREYSTONE, Max and Milo stood in the foyer.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Max went to open the door, confident that it was someone familiar since the guards at the front gate hadn't alerted him.

He saw a stranger.

"Delivery for Milo Giambetti."

The man passed a bouquet to Max. Max looked at with a What the hell? expression on his face.

The delivery man stuck out his hand. Max gave him the same look.

The delivery man cleared his throat.

"Tip," Milo suggested to Max, peering over his shoulder to look at the flowers.

"Oh, yeah," Max said, he reached in his pocket and then passed the delivery man and few bucks. He closed the door and turned around.

Milo grabbed the bouquet out of his brothers hand.

"Who would send you flowers?" Max asked, as if the idea was inconceivable to him.

Milo went to open the card but Max ripped it out of his hand.

"Give that back!" Milo said

Max turned around. His brother reached around him to try and grab it. Max started to read it.

"Hand it over now. Come on, Max. " Milo said

The doors to the living room opened and Sonny said, "What's going on out here?"

Max turned around, his expression the same as if someone had a gun pointed at him.

Milo's eyes were wide.

"Are those for me? That the card?" Sonny asked. "Give that here."

Max passed the card to him.

"Um..sir..." Milo said softly but Sonny was already reading the card.

Sonny read aloud, "Congrats! You have won the Hottest Hottie Award! Love, The Five."

Sonny looked up, confused. Max blinked rapidly back at him. Milo's mouth dropped.

Sonny shook his head and turned and walked back into the living room. Before the door closed Max and Milo heard him say, "Check this out, Jason. The Five Families sent me something..."

Milo whispered, while smacking his brother's arm, "Why did you give that to him?"

Max asked, "What did you expect me to do?"

"You idiot!" Milo whispered

"Who is The Five? What the hell are you involved in?" asked Max "Stripping? Porn?"

"What?!" Milo hissed at him.

The doors opened again, this time Jason was there. The brothers fell silent.

Jason said, "Where is the envelope that card came in?"

Max and Milo exchanged looks.

Jason stuck out his hand, a don't even think about messing with me look on his face.

Max passed over the envelope.

Jason read it and then clapped his hand onto Milo's shoulder. "Lets step outside and have a little chat."

Sonny walked into the foyer just as they were leaving, he asked Max. "Have you ever heard of the Hottest Hottie award? Is that like when People Magazine picks the Sexiest Man of the Year?"

Max shrugged.

"I knew I was good looking but...wow." Sonny said.

Max swallowed hard and then croaked out, "Yeah, wow."

Author's note-

WHY MILO WON-

In order to not make Emily think they all lusted after Nik, I decided most of the women wouldn't vote for him.

Emily, Robin and Liz would not vote for Ned because they don't look at him that way.

None of them are close to Pete, so even if they think he is hot, they wouldn't vote for him.

That leaves Cruz and Milo.

I decided that Emily, Liz and Lainey would vote for Milo. They know him and think is a sweetheart.

Robin voted for Cruz.

Kelly voted for Nik.

The next chapter has- Ned and Lainey, the Milo and Jason chat, the Robin and Nik phone call and some more Liz and Pete.