"He looks old enough for the swing." Patrick explained to Morgan as he picked up the baby and secured him in the swing harness.

"He can't even hold his head up." Morgan argued, pouting.

"Well I'll hold it for him." Patrick reasoned. "Go on. Get in your swing and I'll push you."

"Mommy's going to be mad if you drop the baby." Morgan cautioned, climbing into his swing.

"Won't happen. I am a pro at this." Patrick countered, barely pushing Nathan's swing while holding his little head between his hands.

"Don't listen to him Morgan." Lucky advised as he came around behind the group pushing the twins in their stroller and Cameron racing up to Morgan. "I know he dropped Cameron at least once."

"I did not!" Patrick snapped, holding Nathan's swing so he could push Morgan.

"Did too. Lulu sold you out."

"That little brat."

"Basically." Lucky shrugged as he pulled Jake out of the stroller. Gracie had fallen asleep during the walk over. Cameron was already situating himself on a swing.

"What are you guys up to today?" Patrick asked, rescuing his screaming infant from the swing.

"Avoiding the fight lessons Robin is giving Elizabeth."

Patrick hid his laugh behind his hand. "O-Oh yeah?"

"If you're smart you won't be laughing the next time you see Robin. She might volunteer you to be the next punching bag."

"She already has the two...oops."

"The two what?"

"Nothing. Nothing."

Lucky didn't think it was nothing, but if it meant a good joke on him, then Patrick wasn't going to tell anything. "So why are you hiding out here?"

"A nice day I guess. It's been so da—rn cold lately, I thought we should take advantage of a change."

"Good catch you're improving."

"I'd rather Nate's first word not be something that'll get me in trouble."

"What about his second word?"

Patrick shrugged. "How did Robin seem when you left?"

"She was fine. Ganging up on me with Elizabeth. The usual." Adjusting Jake to his shoulder, Lucky gave Patrick a curious glance. "Why do you ask?"

"No real reason."

"Nope. Not buying it. You wouldn't ask unless you thought I noticed something. Try again."

"I don't know if I'm supposed to say anything." Patrick muttered, switching Nathan to his left shoulder.

"Never stopped you before. Besides Robin is family now. And our family motto is your business is my business."

"Morgan, Cam. We're going to right over here." Patrick nodded and led Lucky a few feet away.

"Ok, if you don't want the boys to hear it is something."

"AJ thinks Morgan is his son."

"What?" Lucky shook his head and looked over at Morgan's dark features. "What? How?"

"I don't know all of the details. Ned came over to give Robin a head's up. She was hysterical when I found her." Patrick closed his eyes, not wanting to relive that particular night.

"There's something else. AJ just thinking he could be Morgan's father wouldn't freak Robin out. Not to mention Ned wouldn't feel the need to tell her about it before AJ approached her. What aren't you telling me?"

"He's going to try and come after Morgan. We talked to Alexis and she's willing to defend us in court if it comes to that. He can't take Morgan without a DNA test and a court order."

"Damn straight." Lucky swore. "Morgan is our family and we aren't letting go without a fight."

"I wish I could convince my wife."

"Let me talk to Elizabeth. She'll convince her."

"You can't. Then she'll know I told. She has to come to Elizabeth on her own."

Lucky nodded even though he was preparing to tell Elizabeth as soon as he returned home. "Can I give you some advice?"

"Yes."

"When Tony and Lisa made a move on Cameron, I couldn't be convinced that my every mistake wasn't going to be held against me. It didn't matter if I knew it wasn't my fault and there was no way I could have prevented it from happening, I still thought it was going to cost me Cameron. I'm willing to bet Robin is feeling the same way. Just listen to her, don't tell her she's being ridiculous, and find her some way to channel that energy. Make her talk about her every fear with Alexis. Let her see that Alexis has a plan in place for exactly what she is afraid of. It will probably help if she has a plan in case her worst nightmare happens."

"When did you get so smart?"

"I've always been smart. You've just been in denial."

"Just a second," Patrick grabbed his cell phone and put it his ear. "We're at the park. Two feet away. I'm holding him. Yes. Lucky's here with Cam and the twins. We'll be there."

"We'll be where?"

"We're meeting the girls at Kelly's in twenty minutes." Patrick explained, motioning the boys forward.

*****

Crowds of school children raced past him and back to their buses. Ric bobbed and weaved through the crowd, concentrating on finding her familiar blonde hair. He had smiled when he read her note this morning. Apparently she thought being in public was going to prevent him from trying anything more than talking. As if being in public had ever been an issue for them.

Her request had surprised him a little. He was sure she would have let him dangle a little longer before contacting him. Hell, Ric had even been planning exactly how long he would wait before he would force another meeting with her. It had been all but a certainty in his mind that he would have to make the next move. Alright, he amended, it would be up to him to make all the moves.

Running his fingers through his hair, he paused for a second when he spotted her standing exactly where she had told him to meet her. Was she eager or just looking for all the exit points, he wondered. Calling up his courage, he took the last few steps to reach her and tapped her shoulder just before she could spot him.

"I never pegged you for a fan of the elephants." He joked, motioning toward the exhibit behind them.

"If you're looking for the donkey cage, it's at the end of the exhibit. I hear they keep the finest asses there." Maxie responded after a pause. She should have known. Hunter was going to die just as soon as she remembered how to get back to the main gate. First, he had tried to abandon her for a date that she soon realized was made up and now, now he was tricking her into meeting him at the zoo?

He bit back a retort about her own fine ass and took another step toward her. "So where should we start?"

"The only way we're continuing this conversation is if you promise to go home afterwards." Maxie bargained.

"I already told you the only way I'm leaving."

"I won't come with you." Maxie promised, folding her arms.

"Then I'm not leaving."

"Don't you have a life to get back to?"

"Not without you."

"If there was nothing else, I still wouldn't leave a job I've waited my entire life for."

"Which you can work in New York." Ric smiled at her. "I asked around."

"I like it here. The people, the atmosphere. Port Charles was dead and dying."

"You're all talk. You may like it here, but you'll never leave your family."

"My family will always be there. It's not like they're going anywhere anytime soon."

Ric moved his hand down to the small of her back. "Just like me."

Maxie pushed him away. "I'm still mad at you for your last stunt."

"I've cleared that hurdle before."

"So your plan is to drag me home so that things can go back to the way they were." Maxie assumed.

"No. My plan is to make you remember the good times so we can work to get them back." Ric corrected her.

"The good times? Oh, like when you told me you'd never lie to me. Times like that?"

"No. Times like working on the Nurse's Ball."

"Me working and you trying to distract me?"

"You never complained."

"It was simpler."

"Before you admitted there is something between us."

"Was." Maxie corrected.

"Is." Ric argued. "If we were truly in the past you wouldn't have wanted to meet with me."

"Oh, this wasn't my idea." Maxie assured him.

"Then why are you still here?" Ric smiled slowly at her. So she was tricked into meeting him. He should have figured that out earlier. But if she really didn't want anything to do with him, she would have walked away long before now.

"I don't know." Maxie slumped down onto an empty bench.

Sitting down next to her, he took advantage of her confusion to grab her hand. "Then let's just wander the zoo while you try to figure that out."

"I just want to sit here for a second. Can we do that please?"

"Whatever you want Maxie. Whatever you want."

"If I ask you something, can you give me a real answer?" Maxie asked, glancing over at him.

"I'll try."

"Why did you kiss Kate?"

It was a question he had asked himself a million times since the kiss happened. "I didn't plan it. My father was continuing to fight with the doctors and make my life miserable as he always does. You were avoiding me at the time and you were the only want I wanted to really talk to. I get it now. You knew Kate was out there and you were pissed I hadn't told you, but at the time I was confused. And frustrated over the entire situation. Kate was sitting there at Charlotte's and offered to listen to my problems. She stood up to leave and tripped. Then it happened."

Maxie closed her eyes and took a breath. "Thank you for not feeding me some line."

"You're welcome."

"Maybe this isn't the worst idea." She gestured to each of them.

"I can think of several worse ones."

"Okay, let's go for that walk now." Maxie pushed to her feet.

"Lead the way." Ric smiled as he stood and offered out his hand to her.

Maxie braced her hand against the back of the bench. "Head rush."

"Nice to see I still have such an effect on you." Ric joked.

Maxie wasn't sure if she laughed or not. Her grip on the bench loosened and her knees buckled. "Something—something's wrong."

"Maxie?" Ric leaned over her to try to stop her fall to the unforgiving concrete. "Maxie?"

"Hospital." Maxie urged him.

"Someone call 911!" Ric yelled as she slumped against him and lost consciousness. "Someone call 911!"