Alexis looked over at Lucy sitting by herself at a table in the corner. Waitresses bypassed her after she absently waved them off while nursing a beer straight out of the bottle.

Lucy didn't drink beer, she downed tequila shots when she wanted to embrace her wild side. Not tonight, she held onto her bottle as if it were a lifeline. A folded copy of Julian's newspaper resting next to it. At least today's headlines weren't about her or even about Scotty.

They were about how the PCPD had attracted the attention of the department of justice in Washington, D.C. and investigators had been sent to probe its rumored ties to Sonny Corinthos criminal organization.

Business operation, she silently corrected out of habit. After all, she no longer worked for him since he'd angrily fired her moments after she'd submitted her resignation letter. He'd subjected her to one of his tirades where he paced his living room, while Olivia frantically hid any glassware in the vicinity.

She glanced over at Mac who tended bar and then in walked Dianne. The lawyer smiled at her and after speaking with Mac, walked on over to sit across from her.

"So this is where you are hiding?"

Alexis protested.

"Who's hiding," she said, "Look I just wasn't up for a night out on the town. I'm tried, had a long day…this whole trial feels like it's lasted a year."

Dianne shrugged.

"It dragged out…but you won," she said, "isn't that something to celebrate?"

Normally Alexis would agree, but she felt knocked down dragged out tired. The trial had lasted four days and in between she'd spent late nights reviewing case law. Molly had done her summer school assigned homework without speaking to her. Life just couldn't go on like that but Molly was steadfast in her insistence that Alexis should have defended Ric against trumped up charges.

Alexis was the worst mommy on the planet according to her youngest. What else was new? Molly still thought the sun rose and set on Cool Daddy Ric even after everything that had happened. Maybe she'd done her daughter no favors by protecting her from her own family history. But Kevin had warned Alexis after Molly's last session that it'd do more harm than good to jar her out of her fantasy world right now.

Dianne took her Vodka on the rocks from the bartender who brought it to her. She winked at him and then placed it in front of her.

"So why are you here and not at home?"

Alexis sipped her drink.

"I'm like you relaxing after a day in court," she said, "and having to deal with Sonny again. He's still upset that I walked out on him. It's not like it's a marriage…"

Dianne sighed, fingering her glass.

"Your work relationship outlasted all of his marriages," she said, "and you know how legal clients can be….they think they own us and all of our time."

Alexis couldn't argue with that.

"Indeed…I provided Sonny with a list of referrals…"

"Not my name I hope."

Alexis smiled, tossing her hair back.

"No…though it might not seem like it at times, there are other lawyers in PC besides us."

Dianne sipped her vodka.

"I know…so you're serious about your new law firm?"

Alexis nodded.

"I leased space at the waterfront," she said, "not in the high rent district but they're practically giving the space away."

PC had bought up some of the older buildings and renovated them, to lease out commercially to encourage more commerce to settle into the crime plague, mob infested waterfront area. Felicia had led the efforts, as part of her efforts to gain positive exposure for the mayoral contest in a few months.

Dianne tilted her face.

"Ah, I looked at some of that space…on a clear day you can see to Pier 54…but I like my current digs…"

Alexis and Sam had spent a couple days fixing up her new office suite. Nathan had dropped by, shirtless as usual to do the constructive side of it, swapping his holster belt for his tool belt. Nathan was her cousin after all. Sam had needed the diversion ever since Silas and Nina moved in together. It had freed her daughter to jumpstart her PI business and with Danny in a new play group…with other kids his age. But children grew up so fast after all, almost at the blink of an eye.

Danny would be packing his lunch and books and be heading off to school before they knew it.

"I like my new office a lot better than my old one," Alexis said, "and it's got two dead bolts."

Dianne chuckled.

"I see. I had to do that after Carly barged in and started yelling at Ava when she wasn't even there," she said, "The woman's got out of her mind."

Alexis shrugged.

"Anything new there? She's just upset that Ava's knocked up with a baby that's got Corinthos blood in its veins…though I think she's more worried about it being Morgan's than Sonny's."

Dianne looked at her nails.

"Only because that'd make her a grandmother and for Carly…that's the worst thing that could possibly happen to her."

Alexis shook her head at Carly's deeply engrained insecurity about the aging process that impacted all women. She'd just been so grateful to live long enough to see her first grandchild…after everything she'd been through in her life.

"So are you going to attend Carly's upcoming wedding with Franco….?"

Alexis didn't know how to answer that.

Julian ran into Sam as he headed out of the building where they both lived. Sam glanced up at him in the lobby after coming out of the elevator.

"Dad…I didn't expect to see you here. I thought you'd left…you know for the hearing…"

He sighed, shifting his stance as he looked into his daughter's eyes, which matched his own, in color and in other ways. It was like looking into himself.

"Sam it's not what you think…"

She put a hand on her hip.

"It doesn't matter what I think…it matters what you did and I know you're trying to make amends."

He tilted his head, studying the earnestness in her features.

"If only your mother understood."

Sam shrugged.

"She will….if you tell her the truth."

"I can't…."

She pursed her lips, arching a brow and he knew that meant she doubted him.

"Why not?"

"It's complicated…I understand she's angry."

Sam's mouth formed a fine line.

"She's hurt…and angry and well, she's started her own law firm."

Julian bit back a smile. He'd seen Alexis and Sam talking with Nathan who'd helped them renovate Alexis' new headquarters since she'd quit working for Sonny.

"I'm going to make it right Sam," he said, "It's just going to take time."

Sam folded her arms, staring up into his face.

"She thinks that you're…"

"I know…but it'll all make sense. Right now, I can't say very much."

Sam scowled, then nodded.

"I see…but I've known my mother a lot longer than I've known you. I know you made your choices and you have your reasons."

"Sam…"

She looked up at him, unfazed.

"I get it…I know that kind of life and so does my mother. She just doesn't like being lied to, you know and neither do I."

He raised his hand.

"It was necessary…to protect all of you."

Sam pursed her lips again.

"From what? You still won't tell us who you're even working with," she said, "even after everything that happened…"

Julian wanted to say so many things to his daughter as he wanted to her mother but he couldn't do that. Too many lives were in danger already…

"I want to…I just can't…"

His phone buzzed again. He checked it being reminded why he had to stay silent.