Dianne and Alexis feasted on Mac's tapas while watching more and more people arrive to fill the Floating Rib. Good for Mac, who had cooked plenty of tapas for all his customers and the taps overflowed with drinks

The mood was festive. Alexis wished she could revel in it but well…at least it was proof that the world moved on around the mess of her own life. Dianne raised a glass to the younger crowd, graduates no doubt of PCU celebrating the first night of the last carefree summer for most of them. Molly would be applying to PCU though she'd hinted at also applying to Stanford University and some Ivy Leagues.

Though not Yale. Part of her rebellion against her unreasonable mother was to not embrace any part of her biography and that meant she'd be boycotting Yale from her college list. Of course she'd apply to Harvard where her daddy had attended law school. Alexis didn't begrudge her that. Harvard was the top university in the country after all and only the best for her daughter.

Though Molly had hinted at wanting to go to PCU to be close to her boyfriend TJ. Even with her own life in a turmoil, she reached out to her steady boyfriend. After all, Shawn was scheduled to testify before the grand jury and Jordan…she was facing a board of rights hearing that might cost her career and give her some jail time. Alexis was a merciful person but she harbored little for TJ's mother.

The world had gotten so crazy in such a short period of time…but Alexis' focus was on her daughters whose lives had been upheaved by the collision of their baby daddies. Molly was in therapy and Sam…she kept her own father at arm's length. Two steps forward in her relationship with him, three big steps back.

Alexis envied her that journey, since she'd been robbed of her own father but she hurt for both of her daughters. At least Sam didn't disown her. Sam knew what being disowned by a loved one was like after all so she'd been Alexis' armor among all the craziness including the media circus.

"Alexis…"

She looked up at her colleague and sometimes friend.

"What?"

"So you still pissed off at Anna?"

Alexis' eyes brightened hinting at her heritage.

"Yeah, she comes in right now. I'm going to crack this cue over her head for starters."

Dianne looked impressed.

"Really?"

"Yeah really. God what she did to my family…to Sam…Lucas and Molly," Alexis said, "Cassadines have engaged in lethal vendettas for less."

Dianne nodded.

"Because she knew about Ric…"

Alexis leaned forward, her eyes flashing. Dianne didn't see that side of her often enough except occasionally inside the courtroom while Alexis cross examined a witness at trial.

"She knew about Ric and it nearly destroyed Molly when she thought he was dead," she said, "I had to hold her, to keep her from lunging towards the body bag…"

"Must have been tough…"

Alexis gritted her teeth.

"I'll never forgive her…or him for that. Ric? He's acting like he's the victim because he was innocent that one time out of all of them. What he did to Sam…to me… if not for that, more people might have bought his innocence."

Dianne nodded again.

"True…though it looked for a minute there he might sue you for custody."

Alexis shook her head resolutely.

"Never would have happened. He doesn't want to raise his daughter. He wants all the credit but none of the responsibility. Molly's angry with me…but she's going to reach a point where she hates him…maybe in her therapy. Kevin's going to peel away all those layers and when he reaches that one…"

Alexis couldn't finish. She didn't even want to think what lay ahead for Molly. Dianne patted her hand and looked straight at her.

"She'll get through it. She's got you and Sam…"

Alexis looked down at her drink.

"There are other…complications."

Dianne sighed.

"Aren't there always? I chose to stay away from the whole marriage and children life…I want my freedom but sometimes…I wish…but then my sanity catches up with me."

Alexis had to chuckle at that.

"Mine didn't…"

Dianne bit into a fresh tapa.

"Okay maybe not…but it doesn't look like Julian will face charges."

Alexis rolled her eyes.

"Of course not…it looks like that lawyer he didn't knock up will help him skate prosecution."

Julian had been helpful to the investigation against the allegations of corruption into the PCPD and all those involved in covering up its relationship with Sonny's "business" and his associates including Duke. He'd actually been spending his time operating his media conglomerate…but she hadn't spoken with him. Everything just felt so raw, the betrayal…she didn't want to face him again afraid to lose hold of her tightly wound control.

"He looks like he's going legit," Dianne noted, "Wasn't that what you wanted?"

Alexis sighed, rubbing her upset stomach, from the stress no doubt.

No, what she wanted from him was so much more complicated…

Julian left his meeting with Victor at the MC bar with a lot to think about in regards to his future in PC. The town hadn't exactly embraced him once it became clear the fallout from the crash and burn of its fabric in leadership had begun.

Anna and Duke were going down for what they'd done to his family for starters. But it could only begin not end with them since the loyalties of the PCPD were so tied into Sonny Corinthos and others in his organization.

It had cost him his family but at least they were alive and safe. Family ties could always be rebuilt after all as long as there was breath to be drawn.

That's where Victor Cassadine might come into play.

The night was cooler than normal in the heat of the summer months as he left the MC to go back to his car. After performing the precursory checks, he got inside it and decided to head back to his suite.

Victor had made him an offer he didn't know if he could refuse. He'd also issued him a warning that he couldn't ignore. Not surprising given that Victor had been the one Cassadine who hadn't embraced neither good nor evil but had walked the fine line in between. He'd conspired with his brothers Mikkos and Tony decades ago but had wound up betraying both of them.

Now after years in prison and exile he headed the WSB.

Julian remembered Victor though he doubted the elder gentleman remembered him from all those years ago. Back when he thought him to be the sane one in his family. He had only wanted one question answered. But Victor had toyed with him then or had he?

A car veered into his path focusing Julian's attention on the road. He didn't feel like heading back to his empty suite so early in the evening so he headed to the Floating Rib.

Alexis looked up to see Mac peel a trashed Lucy off of her chair and usher her to have a cab take her back to her suite at the MC. Lucy had really blown a good thing with Kevin to dally with Scotty and it bit her hard. Alexis only knew the perspective of being cheated on so she harbored little sympathy for Lucy. Kevin had helped her so much when he'd hypnotized her a year ago to pry some deeply buried memories right out of her head about her one night stand with Sam's father.

He didn't deserve to have his heart broken…but then Alexis hadn't considered herself a romantic. One foot in the door and out had been her motto for so long. After all, she had three children by three different men, the kind that came with warning labels attached.

Just like most of the men in her family tree.

"Hey Mac, I need a drink…"

Alexis looked up and saw Mac's face harden as Patrick stumbled into his bar.