Running a hand through her short bob, Kate drew in a nervous breath. It had to be done. There was no other way around it. What she had thought was just a passed opportunity kept reappearing. Every time she looked, Jasper Jacks had some new offer for her, each one designed a little more carefully than the last to cater directly to her. An office in New York City. A more concentrated focus on crime. It was almost as if he was tapping directly into her subconscious and trying to find an offer she could never pass up.

She was running out of ways to say "not interested." A few days after each refusal, he would show up or messenger over a new offer. It wasn't until he casually mentioned his support of the same charity she did volunteer work in high school that she started to suspect he had a private investigator digging up information for him. Normally it wouldn't bother her, but if there was one thing she knew about Jasper Jacks, it was he was relentless. She had already caught his hints about possibly running into her mother; what was to stop him from looking up her ex-husband?

The last thing she wanted to do was complicate Ric's life even more than she already had. Ever since that kiss, he had avoided her. She didn't know if he had told Maxie, if the younger woman had forgiven him, blamed her or left him in the dust. She wasn't going to say she regretted that kiss, but if it caused Ric any pain, she would regret that.

Rubbing her palm against the fabric of her black skirt, she closed her eyes for a brief second, gathering courage. "Okay Kate you can do this. Just walk in there. Tell Ric what is going on. Tell him you have no intention of coming to his town and you're sorry if Jax bothers him. Easy. Just walk in there and do it."

She raised her hand to knock but it froze in mid-air. Clenching her fist, she lowered it and grabbed the doorknob instead. Turning the knob, she strode in, attempting to mask the butterflies in her stomach. Seeing him look up from his desk, she smiled softly. "Hello Ric."

Ric looked up, startled. She hadn't made any noise upon entering. Only her voice alerted him to her presence. Still, he couldn't pretend he wasn't happy to see her. Or relieved. Relieved was a better word. He could be relieved and still be faithful to his girlfriend. "Kate. How are you?" Stupid question, he berated himself. He hadn't spoken to her since their kiss and he honestly didn't know if he wanted to know why she was here.

"I'm good thanks. How are you? Getting back to normal?"

"Trying." Ric managed. "What can I do for you?"

"It's more like what trouble I'm going to end up causing you." Kate confessed.

"What are you talking about?" Ric wished he hadn't asked the question, had sent her away. Things were getting back to normal. Things were great. Why was she here? Had there been a national ad put out that he was feeling something other than numb since they had signed the divorce papers?

"I've had a job offer." She started slowly. "A job offer from Jasper Jacks."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"The job is editor of a magazine here in Port Charles."

"That's...I'm happy for you."

"I don't want the job, Ric. I've lost track of the times I've turned him down. But every time I do he comes back with an offer tailor-made for me." Kate took a few steps and stopped just to the side of his desk. "Ric, I think he's digging in my past to make an offer I can't refuse. And I think he's going to talk to you."

"Why would he talk to me?"

"Because you're my ex? Because no one in this town seems to marry anyone other than their ex nine times? Because he thinks you could be leverage? Take your pick Ric. He'll see you as an opportunity and I don't want that to happen to you."

"Forgive me, but you sound a little paranoid."

"You haven't seen these offers." Kate pointed out. "He's mentioning things I haven't thought of since high school. He's mentioning friends, family. Come on Ric, you live in this town. Don't you pay attention to his reputation?"

"I'm more interested in my own I guess." Ric joked. "Look, nothing is going to happen. I don't want you to worry. If he does approach me, I'll give him the brush-off."

"Good." Kate nodded. "I just didn't want to cause you anymore complications."

"Katie, you haven't caused me any complications." Ric assured her, leaving his chair and stepping around his desk.

"Are you sure Richard? I mean, we haven't talked since....since..." She looked at the floor.

"Since the kiss." He finished for her. "I know. I had to...avoid you. I'm sorry."

"No I understand that. You have Maxie. It made perfect sense."

"Correction." Maxie's voice trembled from the doorway. "He had Maxie."

"Maxie?" Ric pushed Kate aside and took a step toward her. "Maxie?"

"Kate?" Maxie screamed, advancing on him until he was backed into the front of his desk. "Kate is the one you kissed?!"

"I can explain." Ric held up his hands. "It didn't mean anything."

"It didn't. Honestly it meant nothing. It was just the situation." Kate offered, taking cover behind Ric's desk chair.

"Right. The situation. Something I wouldn't understand because I wasn't there." Maxie spat, her eyes trained on Ric's.

"No." He admitted.

"How dare I question the sacred bond the two of you have, right?"

"That's not true. You know that's not true."

"I know what I know, okay? I know I trusted you. I know you abused that trust. God and you were the one pushing for some sort of label on us." Maxie shook her head and squeezed her eyes shut.

"You said you didn't care about Tucson." Ric pointed out. "You said it was ok with you."

"When I thought it was just some faceless nurse! You told me it was over with Kate."

"It is over with Kate. It has been since the moment I met you."

"Don't you dare." Maxie threatened, shaking her finger at him angrily. "You're caught. Stop lying!"

"I'm not lying." Ric protested taking a hesitant step toward her. "I regretted that kiss the moment it happened. I haven't even talked to Kate before now."

"That's true. He left and never looked back." Kate offered quietly.

It took some effort, but Maxie somehow managed to look in Kate's direction. "I don't want your take on things. Okay? I don't want to hear your voice. I don't want to see your face. Please leave."

Knowing when it was best to leave a situation alone, Kate nodded and headed to the door. She mouthed an "I'm sorry" in Ric's direction before closing the door behind her.

Maxie felt his hand on her shoulder and jumped back as if she had been burned. "Don't touch me." She ordered through gritted teeth. "If I hadn't walked in, would I have been privy to a repeat performance?" Her mouth shook so violently, she had trouble forming the words.

"Maxie, that wasn't what was going on. She was just giving me a warning about a far too zealous would-be employer. I had no idea she was coming."

"Did you enjoy the kiss? Was it just like you remembered?" Maxie gulped.

"It was a onetime thing and that's all it was. I moved out of Charlotte's house and into a hotel that minute." Ric promised.

"Why didn't you just come back here? To me? Am I always an afterthought?"

"I had to finish up with my father. And I didn't know what to say to you." He confessed.

"You didn't want to hurt me?"

"I didn't want to lose you."

"If you didn't want to lose me, you never should have kissed her. I should have been enough for you."

"You are enough for me."

"I never thought I'd say this." Maxie was all but whispering, her throat hoarse. "But Kate was exactly right, wasn't she? That day she said I was nothing more than a passing attraction. You've accused me from day one of not putting enough trust in you and us. And all along it's you who has been shut off. You're the one who's running."

"I'm not running." Ric swore, trying to reach out to touch her all the while knowing it wasn't welcome. "I want to fix this."

"This isn't something you can fix." Maxie argued. Tears were stinging the back of her eyelids and she knew she had to get out of here if she wanted to save what was left of her pride.

"Tell me what you want. Tell me what I can do to make this better."

"Go be with your wife. I'm tired of fighting for your attention. You obviously still love her. And I want—" Maxie broke off. "I just want you to be happy." In a small voice, she added, "God knows you were the only thing keeping me here."

"What are you talking about?" The only thing keeping her here? What on Earth?

"Goodbye Ric." Maxie made a beeline for the door.

"Maxie!" Ric called after her as she pushed her way down the hall. "Maxie!"

"I can't." It was all she could say, all the explanation she could give him. The opportunity to live and work in L.A. was too great an offer to turn down. She had lost the final tie to this morbid little town. She didn't stop. She didn't turn around. She didn't hesitate.

*****

What was the point? He had called every bank in Port Charles and none of them were willing to help him. The magazine still wasn't financially stable no matter what he tried. All the stories Lucky had provided had done little more than keep them afloat. Now there was nothing. The town looked toward their neighboring city for the real news. He was losing staff like trees lost their leaves at the onset of winter. He couldn't get a loan. He could barely afford the staff that had stuck around. What had he been thinking? He was talented okay, but not a miracle worker. Something was coming. He didn't know which direction it would emerge from but he had felt it moving in on him the moment he got that phone call from Beaudry.

There had to be something he was missing, some saving grace he hadn't considered yet. His staff was booming with ideas--that much of the meeting had been a success--but he had to realistic. For them to be able to achieve the sorts of things they were suggestions would require more money out of his pocket, money he simply did not have. It was times like this when he was thankful his home was fully paid for. He inwardly cursed. It wasn't his home. It had never felt like his. It was as if he had just moved in and not claimed a single section of the two-story house. When he had thought of their lives in terms of the future, even before his little girl had made herself known, he had never planned on living in the same house Bobbie had shared with a man she had loved, still loved.

Business should have picked up. Stories should have been everywhere. He would never tell Alexis but ever since she and Mac cleared the town of the mob, there wasn't a lot of disturbing news to report anymore. This wasn't to say he missed the blank stares or the bugs he had had to plant in their penthouse to pick up any sort of information. He just wanted his business to prosper. It didn't have to reach New York City standards, but couldn't it just pull its weight for once? Must he always take loans to support his family and his staff? Was it ever going to get better?

A dark thought entered his mind, one he didn't want to acknowledge. Whatever moron was in the market for this little magazine would probably be the best thing to ever happen to it. The employees would most likely get some ridiculous raise, something he had only been able to provide them once in the entire four years he had owned the company. They were loyal but they weren't stupid. The zeros would break them of any obligation they felt to him. He buried his head in his hands and ground his elbows into his desk, frayed.

His phone buzzed again. He didn't have to look down to see who was calling. It was the same person who had tried to reach him for seven solid days. He had offered no explanation to her questions. He didn't know what he could tell her without making her into a nervous wreck. She would use the old line, "We'll get through it, no matter what" and he didn't think--no he knew he couldn't handle that. He didn't want her to have to worry. He didn't want her to panic. Most of all, he didn't want her pity. When they had vowed to be together for the rest of their lives, he had promised to take care of her, to support her. How was he supposed to face her?

"Boss Man?" Axe stepped cautiously toward Cruz. It didn't take a genius to notice that whatever was bothering his boss, it was major. He had been trying, but it was obvious to everyone he was running on fumes. "Hey Boss Man?"

"Yeah. What is it, Axe?" He stopped himself from asking what was wrong now.

"What's going on Boss Man? Something bugging you?"

"No." Cruz lied. "Nothing I can't handle."

Axe regarded him skeptically. "You sure? Cause you know I'm willing to help you with whatever. I am the plan maker."

"Fine, Axe. It's fine." I could be kicked out of my job without any notice, but you'll be taken care of, don't worry.

"Alright." Axe drawled slowly. "But if you need anything..."

"There is one thing you can do for me." Cruz finally met Axe's eyes.

"Name it."

Cruz grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair. "Call my wife. Tell her I'm coming home."

Axe offered up a salute. "On it Boss Man. She will know of your impending arrival. And might I suggest a shower while you're there?"

"Thanks a lot." Cruz drawled, stepping out.

"I'm just here to help." Axe smiled.

Cruz stopped in his tracks and returned to where his faithful employee stood. Reaching into his jacket, he pulled out a business card and a few twenties. "Take Becca out and celebrate."

"Boss Man I'm not going to take your money."

"Just take it. I took Bobbie here for our first date and she loved it. Please. Don't argue. Just listen for once."

Tucking the business card in his back pocket, Axe passed back the twenties. "I'll take the place under advisement, but not your money."

"No matter what happens..." Cruz couldn't finish immediately. "It's been a pleasure being your boss."

"Is there something I need to know about?"

"No. Thanks Axe."

"No problem Boss Man. And I'm serious about that shower."

"Noted."