The news hit her like a truck.

Kristina sat on Sam's leather sofa, her phone pressed against her ear. Sonny's voice was distant and shaky, stutters breaking up every other word as he spoke. Her first thought was Avery, worry coloring her features as she thought of her little sister and the fear she'd feel. Footsteps echoed behind her, and Sam raised an eyebrow at Kristina's stiff posture.

"Krissy?" Sam took a seat on the sofa, "Krissy, what's wrong?"

"She's going to be okay, right?" Kristina asked, "I mean, she was brought to the hospital. She was there overnight-"

"Kristina-"

"Avery must be so worried. Her mom not coming back from the picnic and now finding out why she didn't…I know I'd be a mess if any of that happened to you or Mom."

"Krissy-"

Kristina glanced at Sam for a moment, holding up her index finger, "Is there anything I can do? I mean, I can bring Avery by in case you're busy? I…yeah, yeah! Of course! I'm happy to. I'll be there soon. Love you, bye."

"What was that about?" Sam asked, crossing her arms.

"Just…bad news."

"How bad?"

"Ava was stabbed at the Quartermaine picnic last night."

"What?!" Sam raised her eyebrows, "How?! Why?!"

"I don't know. Someone brought her to the hospital after finding her by the boathouse."

"There hasn't been anything else?"

"Not according to Mom."

"God…" Sam ran a hand down her face, "Poor Avery."

"I know," Kristina signed, "Dad told her what happened as gently as he could. He said she wants to see her mom."

"I don't know if that's best-"

"It's what she wants. If I were in her shoes, I'd be begging for the same thing, even if seeing my parents in a hospital bed would traumatize me."

"And you're going to get her."

"She's with Dad and Pilar just across the way. I didn't give a concrete time on when I'd arrive, but…"

"If you want to go now, you can. You're not stuck here."

"I know, I know…" Kristina bit her bottom lip, "I just…I hope Ava's going to be okay. I'm not her biggest fan, but she's Avery's mom. She's your aunt too and-"

"Krissy," Sam laid a hand on her sister's shoulder, "I'll be fine. Ava is nothing if not tough. Go get Avery and pay her a visit."

"Right…right," Kristina stood up. Sam joined her, giving her a tight hug before escorting her out. The young woman stood in place for a moment as the door closed behind her before moving through the hallway, stopping at Sonny's front door. A few knocks later, he opened up.

"Hey," she greeted, hugging him tightly, "I'm here for Avery."

"I'll let Pilar know," Sonny nodded before turning and walking away. Kristina stood in place, looking around the penthouse. She briefly fixated on the half-head statutes before the sound of footsteps broke the silence.

"Avery," she cooed, dropping to one knee for a hug, "hi."

"Hi Krissy," the little girl replied flatly, "Daddy says you're going to take me to see Mommy."

"I am."

"Can we all go now?"

"All?" Sonny asked, "I'm sorry, sweetheart. It'll just be you and your sister going. I have some business I need to deal with."

"What kind of business?" Kristina asked, standing up.

"Dex…he didn't answer my calls or texts," Sonny's voice was almost a whisper, "He was supposed to pick me up from the picnic, he even called, but when I called back, he didn't pick up. Thankfully, Nina…she drove me home."

"Oh…" Kristina bit the inner right corner of her lips, "Well, hopefully he gets back to you."

"Yeah."

"Can we go?" Avery cut in, "I wanna see Mommy!"

"Yes, yes," Kristina grabbed her sister's hand, "Let's get going," she looked at Sonny, "Love you, Dad."

"Love you too," Sonny grinned before looking down at Avery, "and I love you."

"Love you Daddy," Avery nodded, trying to smile as the girls walked out. The walk to the car was silent, though Kristina could feel Avery's grip tighten. Once she was settled in the backseat, they took off.

"Your mom is going to be so excited to see you," Kristina remarked as she drove down the street.

"Yeah," Avery gave a half-hearted smile.

"Things are gonna be okay, Avery. Your mom is strong and tough, and she got help pretty quickly. She'll be back home in no time."

"I hope so," Avery said softly as the car parked. Kristina helped her out of the vehicle, holding her hand as they made their way into the hospital. After a quick glance at the directory, and after passing a few floors in the elevator, they made their way to the ICU.

She stopped in her tracks almost immediately.

"Dante?" Kristina asked, facing his back. She smiled when he turned around, "What are you doing here?"

"I was hoping to speak with Ava," he replied, "Someone called in her stabbing."

"Are you trying to find her?"

"I just did after checking the…patient list," he pointed to a device on the front desk before pointing his head to the right, "Come on."

It didn't take long for the three to arrive at their destination, simply turning one corner and passing a room or two on their left. When Dante and Kristina approached the window, they could see Ava resting in bed, a tube covering her lips.

"I wanna see!" Avery spoke up.

"I got this," Dante whispered to the elder sister. He took Avery's hand in his and opened the door to the ICU room, gently shutting it behind them. Kristina sighed as Dante lifted Avery onto the bed, the little girl curling up against her mother. Part of her wanted to be in there with them, but she knew where her lines with Ava were drawn. She began to turn around, seeking out one of the waiting area sofas.

The sight before her made her heart skip a beat.

Dex laid across the brown sofa, his blonde hair slightly disheveled. His white T-shirt was stained with dried blood, which sparked a blip of panic. She took in his face, eyes closed and features relaxed and peaceful. Her cheeks gently flushed as she looked him up and down a number of times, slowly approaching him.

"Dex," she whispered sharply, dropping to her knees, a gentle hand on his shoulder, "Dex, hey, wake up."

He remained still, his breathing quiet and shallow.

"Dex, please, get up. C'mon-" she shook him again, his movement more aggressive. He gently groaned as he pressed his face into the sofa for a brief moment, his eyes fluttering open.

"Kristina…?" he said softly. There was a sparkle in his eyes as he stared at her, and part of her melted internally, "Hi."

"Hey," she replied in the same tone, a small smile on her face, "You okay?"

"Yeah…yeah," Dex slowly sat up, stretching his limbs. Kristina took a seat next to him.

"How'd you end up here?" she asked, smoothing out the mess on his head.

"I brought Ava in."

She paused for a moment, "...That was you?"

"It was. I was trying to find your dad, and I found her instead."

"And you stayed here all night?"

"I wanted to make sure no one came back to finish the job."

"Very chivalrous of you," Kristina smirked.

"Well, Mrs. Cassadine is important to her daughter, and as we all know, your dad cherishes his family-"

"So you stepped up for my dad."

"That, saving a life, making sure a little girl had her mother," Dex counted on his fingers. She giggled in response, her hands on top of his shoulder. He grinned at her in response.

"No, but seriously," Kristina began, "are you okay?"

"Yes," Dex replied gently, "I'm okay."

The glimmer in his eyes and the gentle smile on his face was a one-two punch to her heart. She was in a daze as she stared at him, one hand sliding onto his upper back and the other staying on his shoulder. She wasn't sure what it was that stilled her that way, but a small part of her deep down welcomed it.

They snapped apart when the door opened.

"Hey, Krissy," Dante stood in the doorway, "can you stay with Avery for a bit?"

"S-Sure," Kristina cleared her throat, getting to her feet. She looked at Dex before swiftly walking past her brother. Dante gently closed the door behind him, approaching the young man.

"What's, uh, up with your shirt?" Dante pointed at the dried blood stain.

"I brought Ava to the hospital."

"Did you," Dante sat down on the wide coffee table, "Why don't you tell me what happened?"

"...Okay," Dex blinked, "I parked at the backroads by the Quartermaine mansion; I was there to pick your dad up."

"And how did you make it to the deck by the boathouse?"

"I was just walking through some trees and brush. I wasn't entirely sure where I was walking; it was my first time there."

"And you just happened to see Ava?"

"Yes. I saw the boathouse the more I walked and I saw her lying on the wood."

"Did you treat her wound?"

"Yes. I took some towels from the boathouse and tied some knots against the wound to put pressure on it. I then walked her to my car and drove her here."

"Was there anything else you remember about last night?"

Ugh! God! Move!

The all-black figure flashed in his mind, rushing into him before passing him by. He winced at the thought, which caused Dante to raise an eyebrow.

"I…" Dex cleared his throat, "I ran into someone while I was walking towards the house."

"Who?"

"I don't know. I just remember that they wore black clothing and had a black mask on."

"Anything else? Height? Weight? Maybe they said something to you?"

"About a head shorter than me, fairly thin, and their voice sounded feminine."

"And this…woman ran into you physically?"

"Yes, we literally did run into each other."

"And you're sure you're not injured?"

"I'm sure. I felt her body hit mine but nothing sharp. If it concerns you that much, I can schedule a checkup-"

"No need. I'll take your word for it," Dante got to his feet. He looked Dex over, "...Were you here all night?"

"I wanted to try and protect Mrs. Cassadine."

"I see," Dante nodded slowly, "Well, thanks for the information. Hopefully we catch whoever did this to Ava before they have the chance to strike again."

"I hope so too," Dex nodded as the door opened. The men looked to see Kristina walking out with Avery, holding her hand.

"Everything okay?" Dante asked.

"Yeah," Kristina sighed, "Avery wants to see Dad."

"I'll take her," Dante nodded before looking back at Dex, "Thanks again, man. Fair warning - your name might be all over the news. That woman you ran into could come after you."

"I can take care of myself."

"Wait-" Kristina marched up to them, "What's this about coming after Dex?"

"Dex ran into our current person of interest in Ava's stabbing. If she sees his name in the paper, she could target him."

"So don't print the paper."

"That's not my call, it's your mom's."

"I'll convince her not to."

"Kristina," Dex spoke up, "it'll be fine. People need to know everything about what happened, and even then, I can protect myself."

"You shouldn't risk it," Kristina pulled out her phone, "I'm calling my mom and-"

"Don't."

Dex laid a hand on top of hers, stopping her from continuing. Her eyes ran up from his knuckles to his reassuring expression. Her spine stiffened as she slowly pocketed her phone.

"...I'm gonna go now," Dante nodded at the pair before taking Avery's hand and turning the corner. Kristina folded her arms and turned towards Dex.

"You're going to let yourself be exposed like that?"

"If it means protecting people, yes."

"But what about you?"

"I'm going to be fine. The woman didn't hurt me, and though she'll know my name and face, she won't know where I live. She's not going to try anything."

"But-"

"Krissy," he gently cupped her arm. In a matter of minutes, she relented and relaxed her posture. She still wore a scowl on her face as he let her go, "it'll be okay. Trust me."

Kristina looked Dex over before turning and walking off. Her bitterness was hasty and impulsive, the tiny part of her telling her to calm down being drowned out. Dex stood in place, processing the heat in her features. Disappointment colored his face, and while part of him wanted to chase after her, he instead returned to the sofa and sat in silence, waiting for something, anything, to occur.