hey all! it's the next chapter! Hope you enjoy!

"Sorry I'm late." Maxie said bursting into Robin's house, the room instantly went quiet as she interrupted the intense conversation that had been taking place. She could only assume with the people present at the table that it had been about her and Jason.

The group; Mac and the Scorpio-Drake clan were already sitting around the table; Emma happily sucking on her fingers, the food was on the table but had yet to be served.

"It's okay Maxie we just sat down." Patrick said standing up to take Maxie's coat as she moved toward the empty seat at the table, across from Mac.

"Kate was working us like a slave driver today; I thought I would never get out of there." Maxie explained. She could see the look in Mac's eyes assuming she was with her "mobster boyfriend" as Mac affectionately referred to him.

"It's okay you're here now." Robin said as they all began to serve the food around the table. "So I'm assuming you either didn't invite Jason, or he already had plans—"

"Or he was too afraid to face Mac." Patrick said under his breath earning a glare from his wife, a chuckle from Maxie and Emma who was giggling because Maxie was.

"Or Jason isn't the family values guy that he claims to be." Mac finally said looking towards Patrick but making sure Maxie knew the statement was intended for her.

"If you don't have anything nice to say Mac, don't say anything at all." Maxie said smiling over at Emma using her finger to tickle the space under her chin.

"Okay so if you can't say something nice, just get a gun and blow others away? That's Jason's method of cooping?" Mac continued.

"Can we just have a nice civil family dinner?" Robin asked looking between her cousin uncle and husband. "Come on people, we get one of these maybe every month. How hard is it to let go of everything for an hour and just enjoy each other's company? And Uncle Mac I would appreciate it you wouldn't talk like that in front of Emma."

"Sorry." They all muttered and resumed eating.

"So Maxie everything at Crimson is going well?" Patrick asked trying to keep the conversation going.

"Yeah, I'm a junior editor now so it's a lot more work but Kate is really happy with the work I have done." Maxie smiled, for the first time she was actually proud of what she had been doing, because she hadn't had to lie or sleep her way to her position.

"That's great Maxie and everything else?" Robin asked alluding to Jason.

"Everything is really good." Maxie said happily, she didn't want to fight with Mac about this tonight, but she did want to share with her cousin that things for her in the romance department were going extremely well. She would share the details with her after Mac had left. Which for her sake she didn't have to wait too long, Mac's cell phone and pager started to go off simultaneously alerting him to some emergency at the station. Although Mac got in one more snide remark about Jason before kissing Robin's cheek and leaving the house quickly.

"Sorry about Mac." Robin said understanding how difficult Mac could be at times. "But this whole you and Jason thing is kind of hard to understand. I mean it did come out of nowhere."

"Yeah, it did. But people tried to talk you out of dating Patrick and you clearly didn't listen to them." Maxie said their words more of a conversation rather than the fight it had been with Mac.

"Wait, why am I so bad? I'm a world renowned brain surgeon?" Patrick asked.

"Please, the stories I heard about you before you and Robin started dating? You were a bigger man whore than McSteamy."

Robin just laughed as her younger cousin spoke of her husband's former self, before the reformation. "But who were made you the man you are today." Robin said as she walked around the table to sit on Patrick's lap and kiss him.

"Seriously, Emma are they like this all the time?" Maxie asked the baby pretending to be disgusted.

"I'm sure you a Jason are exactly the same when you're alone." Robin quipped before moving back to her seat. "Speaking of Jason, don't let him think he's getting out of all these family dinners. If he's going to be a permanent fixture in your life then he needs to know that your family is a priority."

"And he knows that. He just doesn't want to fight with Mac in front of me. So if you're really so dead set on having this dinner party, schedule it without Mac." Maxie commented. "I mean Patrick would you have been comfortable having dinner with Mac right out of the gate. He's a father figure so that already adds some intimidation, but secondly he's a cop?"

"She has a point Robin."

"Okay, I'll give you a list of our days off so you can run it by Jason. And you can promise him that Mac won't be invited, so all the attention and focus can be on you and Jason, and not fighting off Mac." Robin smiled.

"Oh yeah, I night where Jason is the star guest and he actually has to use his words and talk. He's going to love that."

The four remaining diners continued to eat and talk about work, and cute new things that Emma had been doing until pagers again started to beep.

"Maxie I hate to do this but would you mind—"

"Staying here with my beautiful goddaughter while you two workaholics head to General Hospital? I'd love to. Go be doctor's save lives." Maxie said waving them off as she moved clear the table. Robin and Patrick kissed Emma goodbye before leaving their house.

After the dishes were cleared Maxie moved towards the play pen where Emma was sitting and looking up confused. "I guess it's just going to be you and me tonight little darling." She said picking her up and moving towards the couch. "How about we get ourselves some company?"

~*~

"So family dinner turned into babysitting?" Jason asked as he adjusted Emma in his arms so she was lying across his shoulder, she had fallen asleep almost the instant Maxie placed her in his arms.

Maxie sat with her legs across his lap watching the scene in front of her. As Emma's energy level started to dissipate she called Jason and asked him to come over. And he had accepted after being convinced that Mac was no longer at the house.

"I don't even care if the rest of the family had to bail. Emma here can't speak up yet; so she hasn't formed an opinion about my mobster boyfriend; she's going to grow up liking you just fine." Maxie smiled rubbing her back soothingly.

Jason didn't comment about Maxie's statement about their future. Maxie did a lot of things without thinking, and planning for her future was one of them, if he made a comment she would automatically go back 2 steps. "Mobster boyfriend?"

"Mac's new affectionate nickname for you. If you prefer something along the lines of anger boy, like the old days I'm sure he would be accommodating." She said trying to make light of her father's blatant disapproval. The slight twinge as she said it didn't go unnoticed by Jason, but now wasn't the time to discuss it. "She's such a good baby."

"Babies are easy, after you've had some practice with them." Jason explained. With Michael and Morgan he had learned a few tricks, although he didn't have much experience with baby girls. "They just want to know that someone is there."

"I'm really glad that you were able to come over here tonight. I mean I can handle her, but I'd much rather get to spend time with two of my favorite people." Maxie leaned up to kiss him gently, not wanting to disturb the baby who had her tiny fist lying on Jason's chest clenching the black fabric of his shirt.

"You want me to go put her in her crib?" Jason asked looking over to see that she had finally fallen asleep.

"We could just put her in the basinet in here, that way if she wakes up she doesn't have to be alone." Maxie suggested, echoing Jason's sentiment that they just needed to know someone was there. Moving off of Jason's lap so that he could stand with Emma in his arms and carefully lower her into the playpen/napping pad.

"So whatever should we do now?" Maxie asked as they moved back towards the couch. Jason sitting against one of the ends his feet hanging over the edge and Maxie climbed up into his side waiting for Jason to wrap an arm around her; which he quickly did. Jason didn't waste much time before giving her a quick kiss before turning back towards the TV and changing the channel to the local news.

"That's all I get?"

"I'm not going to make out with you in Robin's home. Who knows when her or Patrick will be coming home, or Emma could wake up." Jason explained pulling Maxie closer so he wouldn't have to look in her eyes as he denied her a kiss. The real reason he wouldn't continue to kiss her wasn't because of the previous reason he had stated. Jason knew where his limits were, and as much as he enjoyed kissing Maxie, it always made his body jump start towards what came after the kissing. And he wasn't going to do that here.

"Seriously? One quick little kiss is it?" Maxie pushed away frustrated. She hadn't been able to stay at the penthouse the night before, it wasn't that she couldn't go a day without seeing Jason; she would just rather not have to be away from him.

"That's it." Jason smiled politely keeping his focus on the television in front of him.

"You don't have to stay here if you don't want to." Maxie said moving across the couch distancing herself from Jason.

"Why would I leave? We could put on a movie, or talk, or if you're tired you could get some sleep?" Jason rattled off his list of suggestions.

"But you won't make out with me because we're in someone else's house?"

"Yes, among other reasons." Jason smirked knowing that Maxie in fact knew the real reason, why he wouldn't continue to kiss her; "And now you're just fishing to hear about how my self-control tends to slip when I'm around you. Maxie you are beautiful and stubborn and motivated and—"

"Jason, you can stop okay, as much as I enjoy listening to you compliment me, it's not necessary." Maxie told him, giving him a quick peck on the cheek before moving back to lay with her head on his chest. "So you said something about watching a movie?"

~*~

Hours later, Robin and Patrick returned from their multiple trauma case they found Emma still peacefully sleeping, in her play pen and Maxie and Jason were lying across their couch Maxie laying half across Jason's body. One of Maxie's hands lying on Jason chest, Jason's arms circling her waist. And their legs intertwined.

"I guess the mob's not as cold hearted as I thought?" Patrick smirked, before picking up his angel daughter from her playpen in the living room before following his wife towards Emma's room, letting the couple continue to sleep.

~*~

Not long after Robin and Patrick had arrived home, Jason awoke and was surprised to find that Emma was no longer in the basinet. Carefully untangling himself from Maxie's still sleeping form; Jason moved down the hallway towards the nursery, where he found Patrick standing over the crib watching his daughter sleep.

"We didn't mean to fall asleep." Jason said softly, alerting Patrick of his presence.

"Its fine, she can really wear you out."

"Maxie or Emma." Jason smirked.

Patrick couldn't help but smile as Jason, cold enforcer of the Port Charles mob cracked a joke. "I knew there would be a heart in there somewhere."

"Excuse me?" Jason asked surprised at Patrick's bluntness.

"A heart. Robin has told me a little bit about your time together, and I've seen firsthand from Elizabeth that apparently you're a pretty hard guy to leave, so I knew that there must be some reason why Maxie was so enthralled with you." Patrick motioned towards the hallway and they made their way back into the kitchen where Patrick moved to retrieve beer as they sat at the kitchen island. "Maxie seems really happy Jason."

"Good, I hope that she's happy, I want her to be."

"And lately you've been the reason for her happiness. Maxie is like a little sister to Robin, which makes her a little sister to me. I haven't had a lot of experience with protecting younger siblings, and I know that Mac isn't going to give you this speech; mostly because he would try to arrest you—but just know that Maxie is like a little sister to me, so if you hurt her—"

"I get it, the warning isn't necessary." Jason said trying to stop him.

"It is, I know you could have me killed, but—"

"Do you mind if I say something first?" Jason interjected. At Patrick nod Jason began, "I appreciate that you're protective over Maxie, she doesn't have a lot of that in her life. I'm not planning on doing anything to jeopardize my relationship with her."

"So you've considered the risk your job presents?"

"Yes, which is why I have a guard on her at all times, when I'm not with her."`

"That's all I needed to hear." Patrick said tipping his beer towards Jason. The duo continued to drink their beers in silence a new and mutual understanding, and a new corner had been turned. Jason had the feeling as if he had just gotten a father's permission to date the daughter. Something he hadn't felt or gotten after his conversation with Mac.

Slowly one by one people were becoming more approving of his relationship with the younger blonde. Maybe there was a chance that their relationship could actually work out.

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