Okay, so how good was my story. If people are reading it, I haven't received many reviews. Anyway, I've made a couple changes from the first chapter. In the first chapter, at the top of the page, I said that Robin's second daughter Mackenzie was in medical school. Now she's not. She's working for Kate at Crimson because she apparently inherited her Aunt Maxie's love of fashion. Also, I did a little research on AIDS and found that once a person actually contracts AIDS, they would only live a few months to a year. So Robin died in 2027, fifteen months after the AIDS diagnosis. Hope that is okay with everyone. Also, please ask questions if you are wondering something. I do have a question for my readers though: should Elizabeth Weber be with Lucky or Jason in the future? I can't decide. I did say in the first chapter "Elizabeth Morgan", but that was after some intense internal debate. So I could use some help for that. Please read and review. Thanks so much!

Loss was difficult. It was probably the most difficult thing a person had to go through in life. Unfortunately, loss of some kind was inevitable. If Maxie Jones-Spinelli was sure of one thing, it was that.

She sighed as she climbed out of the car and walked heavy-hearted into the house. Careful to move quietly, she shucked her coat and scarf and hung them in the hall closet. She wished there was something she could do for her niece. Mattie had already gone through so much and there was nothing she could do to lessen the blow on her. The problem was that Mattie didn't grieve well. She wouldn't cry in front of people. She had refused to cry at Robin's bedside in those last few moments and later at the funeral, she held her sister as Mackenzie cried, but would not let her tears fall.



So now, on the anniversary of Robin's death, Mattie took it harder than anyone else. And Maxie didn't know how to console her.

Maxie walked into the living room and sat down in the dim light of the room. Spinelli had left the light on for her, knowing that she would be late. Thank God for him. If there was one person she could count on, it was her husband. After they'd gotten though Spinelli's awkward years as "the jackal", they had realized that they were meant for each other. And Maxie had never regretted it.

Even today they were going strong. She still couldn't believe that it had been more than twenty years since they had said their vows. And people had said that she was too flighty to hold on to a good thing. Well, Maxie Jones-Spinelli had shown them, hadn't she?

A creak of the floorboard startled her and she glanced back to see Spinelli shuffling down the stairs. She smiled and stood up to meet him.

"Hi Handsome," she said grinning, kissing his lips.

"Maximista, how's the sad doctor?" he joked in what many called "Spinelli speak". He'd quit talking like that long ago for the most part. When their first child was born, he didn't want the baby to grow up speaking like that. Now it was mostly reserved for her, or in some cases, Jason, just to remind him of the past.

"Oh Spinelli, I don't know. I just can't get through to her," Maxie said, walking across the room and reaching for a framed photograph taken when Mattie had been a child. It was of Robin, Patrick and the children one Christmas.



"You're a good aunt, Max," Spinelli said, taking the photograph from her hands and peering at it. "But you can't fix everything. Some thing's just have a natural course they have to take. Mattie will eventually get past this."

"I know, but I wish I could take her pain away. I know that Robin wouldn't want Mattie to hurt like this," Maxie said, remembering when Robin had found out about the AIDS.

Flashback…

Maxie kept thinking about the message Robin had left on her cell phone. She'd sounded strange. Not urgent or worried, just different. And that made Maxie worry, so she'd practically begged Kate to let her leave early so she could meet Robin at Jake's.

She stepped out of the car and hurried into the building. It was dimly lit and slightly smoky, but carried a lot of memories of good times. She saw Robin sitting at a table with a mineral water in front of her.

"Hey," she said, reaching the table. Robin looked up at her and Maxie was startled to see tears in her eyes.

Robin smiled. "Thanks for coming so quickly."

Maxie nodded, "What's wrong sweetie? Is it your mom, your dad?" She motioned to Coleman for a mineral water and took a seat across the table from her cousin. Robin shook her head.



Robin bit her lip as she waged an internal debate on how to tell Maxie. Finally she knew that she would just have to come out and say it. "I had my blood test today, for the HIV," she began, taking a small sip of the water. Maxie nodded and thanked Coleman when he set the bottle of water in front of her.

"So? That's a regular occurrence, right?"

"I-I-yes, but its different now," Robin said quietly. She glanced away, unsure of how to continue. Oh God, if it was this difficult with her cousin, she could only imagine how it would be to tell Patrick and her kids. What about her parents? And Uncle Mac? She wished that she could just die now and get it over with.

Maxie looked suspicious. "How different?" She reached over and grabbed Robin's hand, which had become very cold all of a sudden.

"My T-cells are very low."

Maxie frowned. "What does that mean Robin? I'm not a doctor, inform me."

Robin took a deep breath and decided to take the plunge. "My HIV status has changed into AIDS."

Maxie's eyes widened in surprise and she dropped Robin's hand as if it had burned her. "What?"

"I have AIDS. It's only a matter of time now," Robin said simply, her voice hollow as if she were talking from the end of a tunnel.

"What?" Maxie was practically screaming now. She quieted when the only other customer in the bar cleared their throat in response.



Robin nodded sadly. "You are the first person I've told. I don't know how to tell Patrick or the kids. Or Mac for that matter. I don't know how to break the news that I'm dying," she whispered.

"Oh my God, Robin…" Maxie breathed, unsure of what to say.

"I know. I always knew that it would come to this. I mean, I went through this with Stone. I knew that it would eventually end like this, but I'm not ready. I don't want to leave my family behind. Not like Stone left me behind, because I know how it feels to watch someone you love die of a disease that has no cure. I can't let my family go through that." She took a sip of her water and reached for Maxie's hand.

"I'm so sorry Robin," Maxie said. It was a stupid thing to say in a time like this, but it was all she could think of at the moment.

"So am I." Robin stood up and laid money on the table. "I have to go, Max. I need to find Patrick and tell him. Thanks for coming. I-I'll call you later. Please don't tell anyone, not yet. I need to find a way to break the news to Patrick first, Okay?"

Maxie nodded and got to her feet. She took a step forward and pulled Robin into a hug. "No problem. Let me know if you need any help, okay? I'm here for you."

Robin nodded and wiped at the tears that threatened to fall. She waved and walking out of the bar. Maxie stared after her and wondered what just happened. Robin was dying. It was inevitable, of course, but so soon? Too soon.

End Flashback…



It had been too soon. It wasn't fair that Robin had to lose all that she'd worked so hard for. Maxie set the photo back on the table and turning, wrapped her arms around her husband.

"I wish that I could take the pain away from Mattie," she said, her voice muffled in his shoulder.

"I know, but pain in inevitable. She will have to come to terms with Robin's death in her own time," Spinelli replied, and Maxie knew he was right. Sighing, she pulled back.

"I'm going to bed, you coming?" Spinelli nodded and together they ascended the stairs. At the top, she stopped and pushed open the door to her daughter's room. She crept inside and walked around the piles of clothing. Her daughter was lying with her head at the end of the bed with the covers strewn all over the floor. One thing for sure, Fiona definitely took after her mother and not her Aunt Georgie. That would something they always laughed at because Fiona's sister Julia was the picture of her late aunt. How times changed, Maxie thought as she walked to the bed and placed a gentle kiss on her little girl's head, before pulling the blanket up and taking the headphones out of her ears.

Spinelli watched from the doorway as Maxie made her way out of the room and across the hall where Julia Spinelli slept. Her room was in perfect order, the exact opposite from Fiona's. Julia lay perfectly straight, still hugging her favorite stuffed animal, a testament to her childhood. Maxie dropped a kiss on her forehead and walked out, making her way to the end of the hall where Spinelli was waiting for her in their bedroom.

She made quick work of getting ready for bed, and still thinking of her niece, she fell asleep in her husband's arms. Tomorrow was another day. She had plenty of time to try and 

get though her niece's hard head. Someday, Mattie would be able to forgive and forget the pain that Robin's death had brought. All Maxie could say was that it would hopefully be soon.

Okay, please read and review. Should Elizabeth be married to Jason or Lucky…or someone else…in the future? I need suggestions. How about the lives of the other character's? I'm thinking of putting Mattie and Morgan Corinthos together because their mothers were such enemies. Oh, how fate will always catch up with you! Anyway, please review!