"I was thinking of sending the motorcycle to the dump and collecting on the metal." Luke told his wife as she stood over the stove gazing through the window and effectively burning her grilled cheese.

"That's nice dear." Laura answered noncommittally.

"What's wrong?" Luke had expected her to jump for joy even if he was lying...which he was. Anything to get her to pay attention to him. He rose from his chair and wrapped his arms around her. "What are you thinking about?"

"Lulu."

"Can you describe her?" Luke feigned ignorance and Laura smiled.

"I'm worried Luke."

"About what? Lulu's a big girl. She can take care of herself."

"I'm her mother. I'm not like you. You may have cut the cord, but I still get to try and protect them in any way possible." If it were up to Laura her children would still be safely inside her womb.

"And if they won't let you?"

"Well I'm not going to ask them." Laura gave her husband a sly look.

"But you're so good at subtly." Luke teased. "This stress can't be good for you. How about you come upstairs with me and I draw you a nice, hot bath? How does that sound?"

"Wonderful. However, there just isn't time." Laura sighed.

"What have you got to do today? We raised our kids." Luke pointed out.

"I thought I might go and visit Cameron at the Grimes'." Laura replied.

"Do you think that's a good idea?"

"I think it's the best damn idea I've ever had." Laura wasn't known for her swearing so he knew she was serious.

"And the consequences?"

"What about them? I don't want Cameron to think we've forgotten about him." Laura insisted.

"He doesn't think that."

"How do you know what he thinks? Huh? He's just a little boy. We have never kept him away from them. Who do they think they are trying to steal him from us, from our son?"

"Your heart is in the right place." Luke whispered against her ear.

"But you think it will do more harm than good." Laura finished for him.

"Yes I do. Let Lucky handle this. He's braver than me and smarter than you."

"I just want to know that my children are okay. Is it so much to ask for them to include me in their lives? In their fears?" Laura felt the instant prick of tears at the edge of her eyelids.

"They're Spencers." Luke reminded her. "And that means whatever fear they've got they aren't going to share it willingly."

"I don't know how much more of this our family can take." Laura whispered. "It doesn't seem that long ago when we were happy."

"That's because it was an hour ago when we were still in bed." Luke snuggled her closer.

"We're going to get them back aren't we?"

"Them?" Luke parroted.

"The children." Laura explained.

"I wasn't aware they were all missing."

"Luke…" Laura pleaded.

"You put a piece of chocolate cake in the windowsill and I promise you'll get at least Patrick back." Luke smiled. "About that bath..."

*****

Fingers danced across her skin and closed delicately around her arms, turning her to face him. Her eyes blinked open in confusion; she barely had a chance to take in a breath of surprise before his mouth was covering hers, his fingers combing through her hair. His lips were at once tender and predatory as his tongue persuaded her mouth to open for his own personal perusal. She reached up, her fingertips digging into his neck as she anchored him closer.

It was amazing how safe she felt with him when she still had no clue if he was going to help her or hurt her in the end. But she didn't care about the end…this…right now. That was what mattered. The moisture on his lips, the way his hair felt as it brushed across her fingertips, his body humming wonderfully above her. She told herself to focus on the sensations and leave no room for questions or name-calling. Nothing but this. Nothing but him.

His gaze didn't drift from hers until his callused hand pushed the sheet away and discovered creamy flesh. His knuckles barely grazed her throat and his lips followed, his body bending over hers in such wonderful perfection she was afraid to close her eyes should this all be a dream. When his thumbs followed the curves of her breasts and rounded the tips, she caught her breath and arched her body upward. He tilted his head and lightly nibbled on her ear, whispering, "Are you ready to admit you have an addiction?"

Sam shook her head as the mid-afternoon sunlight blinded her. She looked across at the blonde leaning forward in curiosity, her eyebrows lifted and a funny little quirk to her mouth. "What?" Sam demanded impatiently, her fist banging against the table. Maxie almost leapt out of her skin.

"Geez. Frustrated much? I just asked what you did last night." Maxie ran her manicured hand through her short hair.

"I didn't hear you." Sam stared down into her Cappuccino cup.

"Obviously. You weren't even in the same room as me."

"I did some research."

"Research? Oh please. You do not get that spaced over something as ridiculous as research." Maxie brushed off her new friend's explanation with a wave of her hand. They had only met up a handful of times since Kristina literally ran into her in the park, but already Maxie could tell when Sam was trying to lie to her. After all, it did take one to know one. "No. No. You are hung up on some guy."

If she said "No I'm not" then it could prove very bad for her. If she knew Maxie as well as she believed she did, it wouldn't take more than a mention of his name before the young woman made it her mission to get them back on track. "Maybe."

Maybe was a step up from the denial she had been preparing for. "Please tell me you didn't spend all night thinking about a guy you might be hung up on. That is about as pathetic as begging to be a booty call."

"No, I definitely didn't do that." Sam assured her. "I didn't do that."

"Well thank God. I cannot be friends with a pathetic person."

"That makes two of us." Sam took a drink. "And I do like him. A lot. That's the problem."

"What he's married?"

"No. He's not married." Sam almost choked. What kind of question was that?

"Just checking. In my experience it's best to just wait till the divorce is completely final and the evil witch is out of town."

"In your experience?" Sam arched an eyebrow.

"Ric might have not exactly been divorced when we met."

"But he is now, right?"

"He's signed the papers. I'm not 100 percent sure about her." Maxie scrunched up her nose in disgust. "Kate and I aren't going shopping for shoes anytime soon."

"I can't say I blame you there."

"But enough about that. Tell me more about the guy."

"Well, he's a real asshole. And arrogant. God is he ever arrogant."

Maxie smiled remembering her lobbing a similar complaint about Ric. "But can he back up that arrogance where it counts?"

"Yes and that's part of the reason he's so impossible. Of course there is this really annoying habit he's got that I cannot get past."

"Being good in bed?"

"Well he is...but that's not...he never thinks he's wrong. About anything. I could hand him a bag of M&Ms and he would insist they're all blue or red or green. He just likes to pick fights."

"Ric is like that too. It's even more annoying when he's actually right."

"That's the thing. He's so rarely right about anything. And, the few times he has been, I've never admitted it aloud."

"Honey it doesn't matter if he's actually right. And it doesn't matter if you don't tell them they are right, they always know." Maxie shook her head. "However I will say that the only thing more fun than the fighting is the making up."

"That's where things get a little blurry." Sam admitted.

"Now this sounds interesting." Maxie leaned forward and almost knocked both their coffees off the table in the process. "Ric is out of town so give a girl a bone here."

"I lose my senses when he's around."

"I'm not seeing the downside to that."

"It's complicated. Being involved with anyone is just a bad idea."

"Well duh." Maxie rolled her eyes. "But unfortunately a girl has needs."

"Unfortunately more problems are created than solved when I give into those needs." Sam whispered.

Maxie carefully lifted an eyebrow, stirring her own Cappuccino slowly. "Well yeah if you give in to the needs with a psycho. Is he a psycho?"

Sam laughed. "No, he's not a psycho."

"A non-psycho who's good in bed." Maxie tapped her nail against her lip. "Yeah not seeing the problem here."

"I told you it's complicated. He treats me like a child, like I'll completely screw up if he's not there to hold my hand."

"Well what are you doing that would make him think that? I mean this is Port Charles. It's not like you're running down international drug dealers or anything."

"What do you mean, what am I doing?"

"Most guys don't tend to hold hands unless they have overdeveloped Knight in Shining Armor complexes, you've threatened to leave them or, in the rare case, they are just a good guy. I don't tend to meet the good guys."

"I just don't know what he wants from me. I'm not clay. He can't just mold me into whatever he thinks I should be."

Leaning back in her chair, Maxie flicked a stray piece of paper onto the ground. "Far be it from me to sound like an Oprah episode but, if he really is a good guy, wouldn't talking to him work?"

"Not when he only hears what he wants to hear."

"I'm familiar. Ric tends to ignore anything that doesn't fit in his plan."

"How did you meet him? I mean, you don't seem like the candy striper type."

"Ugh. Stripes make me look fat. No my dad forced me to volunteer for the Nurse's Ball and Ric's on the same committee as me."

"Decorations?" Sam ventured carefully.

"Fashion. I may have accused him of being gay."

"But he's not. Right?"

"Honey if he was, I'd be struggling with those needs we were talking about."

"So what's he like? Personality-wise?"

"Full of himself. Smug. Arrogant as all hell. Stubborn. Sexy. Smart. Funny. Surprising."

"Where did you say he was?"

"Tucson. Family business."

"As in he's running it or something bad happened?"

"His father had a heart attack. He went out to help his sister." Maxie decided to leave out the information about the ex-wife tagging along as well. It made the situation, as Sam would put it, too complicated to explain. And the less time she spent thinking about Kate and Ric being near each other, the better.

She was still steaming over the fact Ric hadn't mentioned Kate's presence at all. No, she had to hear about it from his sister, the snobby bitch, when she had called him as a surprise. "Oh, no Ric isn't here." She had drawled, only pretending to be upset about it. "He's out with Kate. You know Kate, his wife?" Maxie had almost ran to the airport just to fly out there and kick his ass, but then thought better of it. It would be far more satisfying to punish him on her home turf.

The sight of two beautiful women dining together would bring a smile to any man. But the sight of one particular dark haired beauty that ran off the other morning before he had a chance to wake her up properly brought an even bigger smile to Harper's face. Samantha would have to learn Port Charles wasn't that big of a city to hide in. Approaching the table, he made a careful effort to avoid catching Samantha's eyes before it was too late for her to escape. "Well now this is a treat. Two beautiful women for all the world to appreciate."

"Sergeant Harper, your pick-up lines need work." Maxie rolled her eyes.

"They wouldn't be so bad if your father wasn't such a slave driver." Harper joked.

"I've tried that for years. It hasn't worked." Maxie looked over to her friend and found Sam looking up at the sergeant with a look of shock. "Sam? Everything ok?"

"Fine. I just remembered something I forgot to do." Sam explained hopping up out of her seat.

"See you around Samantha." Harper called after her, laughing at the dirty look she turned around to shoot him.

Previews:

"Ashamed? I'm not ashamed."

"You wouldn't know it from where I'm sitting."