"Boss man, I can do this. You should be spending time with the High Queen." Axe gestured over the stack of papers Cruz currently held and into the nursery where Majandra and Bobbie sat. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course Axe, of course." Cruz nodded numbly. It had only been a few hours since his daughter had been diagnosed with meningitis and, even though they promised it would probably only last three days, he couldn't sit still. He had called Axe over to bring him some busy work; he needed to focus on something other than the situation at hand. Sure, Majandra was fine. She was being carefully monitored and kept away from the other babies until she was over this.

"Axe hush." Becca put a hand out to swat at her boyfriend's arm. "Can't you see he's worried? Don't harass him." She turned her sympathetic eyes to Cruz. "Is there anything you need us to do?"

"Distract me please." Cruz replied feelingly.

"Distraction is my middle name." Axe declared confidently.

"I thought that was Alfred." Becca mused.

Cruz lifted an eyebrow in amusement. "Is that what the initial stands for on your application?" He teased.

"It's a lie. A dirty, dirty lie."

"I appreciate you coming all the way down here. I would have brought her to see you sooner than this, but you understand why I couldn't." Cruz explained apologetically.

"Don't worry. We get it and the office party for her was easily rearranged." Becca reassured him.

"All but the band. Now we'll be stuck with the boy band cover band." Axe grumbled under his breath.

"Maybe you should talk to Lucky about that." Cruz quirked.

"Good point. Sweetness, remind me to call Music Man on that one."

"Yeah. I'll get right on that." Becca responded with a roll of her eyes. "Helping you I'm sure is right up there on his priority list."

Oblivious to his girlfriend's sarcasm, Axe grinned at her as he leaned down to kiss her cheek. "Exactly. You read my mind."

Becca shook her head at Axe's cluelessness. She had realized a long time ago if she wanted to date Axe, certain things were just part and parcel with it. Nicknames and utter obliviousness were part of the deal. "Really don't worry about it. Just concentrate on getting Majandra home and we'll celebrate later. Boy band cover band and all."

"What would I do without you guys?" Cruz asked rhetorically.

"Well for one thing your magazine would go up in flames." Becca joked.

"How is the magazine?" Cruz inquired cautiously.

"Only two are MIA. That's good." Axe offered helpfully.

Cruz nodded for them to follow him, putting a few feet between them and the nursery. "I wanted to talk to you guys about something..."

"What?" Becca asked anxiously.

"I was actually thinking about throwing a party once we can take my daughter home and I was wondering...well you're both welcome to come." Cruz wasn't sure why he felt shy all of the sudden. It wasn't like they had just met. He assumed it had to do with the time they had spent apart and the fact that he was still adjusting in his new role as Majandra's father.

"Party?" Axe's face lit up. "Boss Man you know I'm down for a party."

"What he means," Becca cut in with a roll of her eyes. "Is that we would love to come. And if you need any help planning it, just let me know."

"I'll bring the music." Axe promised

"I'll bring the baby." Bobbie chimed in, sneaking up behind them.

"Haven't you learned that bed hopping isn't fashionable these days?" Lulu greeted Maxie as her archenemy walked through the door a few minutes before her shift was to start.

"I figured since you were so good at it, it couldn't be that hard to start." Maxie retorted, reaching behind the counter for an apron. "How is Bradley?" She added just to get a rise out of Lulu.

"He told me you turned him gay. It must run in your family." Lulu mused with a smile.

Maxie's eyes glistened with newfound hatred. "Get out of here you little tramp." She whispered to keep the customers from hearing her.

"I will just as soon as I tell you what I found out." Lulu promised with a laugh.

"Why would I care to learn more than you already knew? I can already read and write thanks." Maxie ground through her teeth.

"Well we didn't all go to slut school like you. Tell me, do you get a discount if you screw an older, married man?"

"I don't have time for this. I have to start my shift." Maxie wasn't about to discuss Ric Lansing with anyone, least of all this little twit.

"So it's true? You're screwing him?" Lulu clapped her hands together in delight. "Then you're really going to want to hear what I have to say."

"What I really want is for you to get out of my face and out of my way. I have a job to do. Don't you have some other person in town you can bug?" Maxie snapped.

"I saw him coming out of her hotel room..." Lulu whispered in her left ear.

"Mike, what's the special today?" Maxie shouted across the restaurant.

"I couldn't hear what they were saying, but if I hadn't shown up I'm sure they would have gone back inside for another round. Apparently you can't keep the men of this town satisfied. Not like that's a secret." Lulu rolled her eyes.

Maxie hadn't realized she had picked up the tray until she heard it swooshed through the air and slammed into Lulu Spencer's face. "Say something else." She challenged, dropping the tray and folding her arms.

"Maybe they're getting back together. Wouldn't that be so sweet?" Lulu asked tilting her head carefully.

Maxie blinked. She had imagined it.

"Leave me alone, Lulu." Maxie warned her as she moved around the corner. There was no reason to lose her job because of this know-nothing bitch.

"I just thought I would give you a head's up. How embarrassing...no awkward would it be for him to be with you and then go right back to her?" Lulu giggled. She glanced down at her watch. "Gosh, I have to go. Have a good day." She added the last part when she recognized who had just walked in. "Without trust, there is no relationship." She said to him before sauntering out of the diner.

Ric blinked in confusion as the blonde girl walked past him. Shaking his head, he turned to see Maxie walking over towards one of the empty tables to clear it. Moving towards her, he maneuvered himself directly behind her. "Whatever it is you are selling today, I'm buying."

"Piss off. I'm working." Maxie filled out a fake order on her sheet and studied it for several seconds.

Looking around the nearly empty diner, Ric fixed a quizzical look on his face. "Yeah you seem slammed."

"I am!" Maxie whispered harshly. "Now go away."

Lowering his voice, he leaned close to whisper in her right ear. "Look I think we need to talk." This had to be the cold shoulder from their last meeting. Not that he didn't deserve it.

"I don't want to talk to you." Maxie declared, turning her back on him.

"Then I can talk and you can listen." It generally worked better for them anyways if only one of them actually talked.

"What are you doing here anyway?" Maxie wanted to know but she still feigned disinterest.

"Since you're determined to make me search for you, I figured this would be the logical starting point."

"Make you? We haven't even talked since..." Maxie didn't feel like going through it all again.

"You've been avoiding my calls." Ric pointed out. He really didn't want to go over all the mistakes he made that night, starting with letting Kate in, but he had been re-living them in full color ever since Maxie walked out his door.

"Did you call? Hmm, I must have been here working or taking care of my little sister. How dare I live my life without considering how you are? What was I thinking?" Maxie shrieked at him.

"I've been trying to apologize..."

"Well maybe I don't want to hear it." Maxie reasoned.

"Blondie." Ric reached out and touched her arm. She tried to jerk away, but he used his own momentum to steer them both out of the dining room and prying ears and towards the back hallway leading to the boarding rooms and the manager's office.

"Let go of me! I'll scream!" Maxie threatened.

"You won't." Ric stated confidently.

"I might." Maxie argued, folding her arms. "Well? What did you want to talk about?"

Letting out a breath, Ric ran a hand through his hair. He was rusty at apologizing to a woman and wasn't hundred percent sure how to go about doing this the "correct" way. Screw it, he thought, he'd just have to wing it and do this his way. "I shouldn't have let you leave the other night."

"Let me leave? You were shoving me out the door." Maxie corrected him.

"You overreact."

"No, I don't think so. And anyway, why should you feel the need to apologize to me? It's not like we're dating or anything." She pointed out blandly.

"We aren't?" Ric asked, unable to keep the surprise out of his voice. "Where was I when we made this decision?"

"We didn't make this decision, I did. It's called self-preservation."

"It's called being scared." Ric corrected bluntly, leaning over her, using his arms to block her from bolting down the hallway.

"Maybe, but at least I won't get hurt in the end this time."

"You'd have to let me in for me to hurt you." Ric pointed out.

"Why would I want to do that, Ric? Isn't your ex-wife in town? Can't you just turn to her?" Maxie shot back.

He blinked in surprise. "Kate? What does Kate have to do with this?"

"Lulu told me she saw the two of you coming out of her hotel room. Granted, I've known that girl to make up stories before and if you tell me it's a lie then—"

"We were discussing the divorce." Ric explained. "We had to clear the air about a few things and the only place I know to corner her is at her hotel room."

"I thought you had lawyers for that." Maxie reminded him.

"We do. Haven't you ever heard of a civil divorce? It's the new fad."

"I'm just repeating what you told me."

"Our lawyers aren't exactly here in Port Charles with us. They are in New York. And I'm choosing to look at being in the same room with Kate on non-hostile terms as a learning experience." It would help his case with Maxie exactly none to admit he didn't hate Kate, despite the circumstances that brought about their destruction.

"Fine. Whatever. I don't care. I have to get back to work." Maxie informed him.

"No you don't." Ric reached out and easily pulled her back closer to him by her waist when she made a move to leave. "I haven't heard anyone yelling for you."

Maxie met his eyes. "I just don't think this is going to work."

"Why?"

"I don't want to be in the way. I don't want to be the other woman."

"You aren't the other woman. Kate and I are over. I told you that."

"And yet you're having private consultations in her hotel room? Yeah, okay Ric." Maxie replied dryly.

"You want to meet her? Ask her yourself?" he challenged.

"Why are you so mad?"

"Because you are being ridiculous. You're acting like you caught me in a lie. When have I ever lied to you Blondie? When?"

Maxie shut her eyes, wished she could block out his voice as easily. "You haven't."

Tracing her arms with his fingers, he risked leaning closer to her. "So why are you acting this way?"

"What way?" Maxie didn't care if she was being childish. She was still trying not to evoke the vision Lulu had provided her with.

"Like a jealous girlfriend." Ric pointed out, daring to steal a kiss from the corner of her mouth before she could protest.

"I'm out of practice." Maxie admitted, sliding her fingers through his hair as he stared at her lips.

"Practice makes perfect." He dropped his head and captured her mouth with his own, teasing her lower lip with his tongue.