Nikolas looked out over Spoon Island. As much as he loved the Wyndemere, there were too many sad memories surrounding the place he'd called home for a long time. But his son was content to live here so at least he could come home and visit once in a while.

Not that he didn't love Greece. After spending part of his childhood there, he had an attachment to it and he loved that his daughters got the chance to grow up in a bright and happy village rather than the dark and dreary castle.

Nikolas turned as he heard footsteps from behind. He smiled as his bride came into view. Even after more than twenty years of marriage, he was still crazy about Nadine and he was glad that she was still wildly in love with him. She walked up to him and wrapped her arms around him.

"Hey."

"Hi. Are you okay?" Nadine asked stepping around to face him. She still had difficulty reading his broodiness even after all the years together.

"Yes, just thinking."

Nadine smiled. "About what?" knowing that it was unlikely he would tell her. He rarely confided in anyone and he would always say that he didn't want to worry her.

"The past," Nikolas replied simply. "Where's Spencer?" he brightened considerably.

"He took the girls and went to pick up Miranda from the airport," Nadine said, then lowered her eyebrows. "You know, I'm sure that they are going to be gone for at least an hour or more. We could…" she trailed off suggestively and shrieked as Nikolas lifted her off her feet and carried her inside the bedroom.

"We could, couldn't we?" He replied dryly, setting her on the bed and lowering his lips to hers. It was the last thing she would hear for at least an hour.

XXXXXX

Spencer stood on the tarmac at the private airstrip and watched the skies. Beside him, his two sisters stood excitedly. They couldn't wait to visit Miranda again. She was probably the best part about coming to the states. Except, of course, for Spencer.

Sixteen-year-old Natasha Cassadine was tall like her father, but with her mother's blond hair and brown eyes. She wore her hair in her customary ballerina bun. She had been studying dance for thirteen years and hoped to one day dance in the Royal Ballet Company out of London. But for now, she was content to spend time with her big brother.

"Look! There's the plane!" fourteen-year-old Laura squealed, pointing to the sky.

Spencer followed her pointing finger. He couldn't wait to see Miranda again. Because they both led busy lives, they didn't get to spend as much time together as they'd both like, so they had come to cherish the time they did spend together.

Minutes past and the plane landed. When the door opened and Miranda descended, Spencer and the girls walked over to her. She set her bags on the ground as Spencer caught her in a hug.

"Hi!" She said when he put her back on the ground.

"How are you Miranda?" This was from Natasha who stood in the background.

"Natty! I didn't even see you there. How have you been?" Miranda squealed. While she and the girls chatted, Spencer picked up her luggage and led the way back to the car.

"I'm good," it was said quietly. Natasha was definitely the most broody of the Cassadine children, much like her father.

"Oh. I'm tired. I've been traveling for days, it seems. I just want to crawl into bed for a week and sleep," Miranda replied, complaining just a tiny bit. She wrapped an arm around Spencer's shoulders. "But for now, I'm really glad to be home."

XXXXXX

"Okay I'm here. What the hell do you want?" Sarah bellowed, striding through the foyer into the main parlor. Anthony Zacchara was sitting in an armchair facing the French doors that looked out to his wife's rose garden.

"Now is that anyway for a devoted granddaughter to talk to her favorite grandfather?" he chastised, turning to face her. At nearly ninety, he was still as sharp and conniving as ever.

"Oh cut the crap, grandpa!" Sarah snapped. She stopped in the doorway, refusing to give in to Anthony's whims.

"I'm disappointed in you, Sarah."

"Since when have I ever asked for your approval?" Sarah asked dryly. She still didn't know why she was here. She avoided Crimson Point for most of her life, mostly because her mother was not in good favor with Anthony and didn't want her daughter associated with the mob.

"I'm disappointed in you because you chose the law instead of the Zacchara family name," Anthony added.

"Why in the hell would choose you or mob over the police?" Sarah sneered. She leaned on the door-jam and crossed her arms.

"Because you are a Zacchara," Anthony bellowed, as if she was stupid.

She rolled her eyes. "I'm no more a Zacchara than I am a Lansing."

"You are a Zacchara through and through. The Zacchara blood is strong. And you are most definitely not a low-level, lying snake of a Lansing," Anthony snapped. He moved himself from the armchair to the wheelchair at his right.

"Careful Daddy, you might just be describing yourself," came a voice from outside in the hall. Sarah moved aside and Claudia strode in, her eyes flashing.

"Aw…wonderful timing. It's like a family reunion," Anthony said, rolling himself across the room to where Sarah stood. "I was just telling Sarah that she made a big mistake choosing to represent the wrong side of the law." He reached for her hand, which she pulled away in disgust.

"Get the hell away from me," Sarah ordered, moving aside. "And wrong or right side of the law—it's all perception."

"Leave my daughter alone," Claudia growled.

"Watch it. You are beginning to sound like a mother bear," Anthony warned.

"I would die before I'd work for the mob. I much prefer being a cop," Sarah replied coolly. She glanced at her mother. There wasn't much more of Anthony Zacchara that Sarah could take before blowing up—literally.

"There's no money in public service. What am I going to do with my vast fortune if I can't give it to my only granddaughter?" Anthony asked innocently. He enunciated on the latter as he refused to recognize Johnny's children as his family because he hated the fact that Johnny had married that Lulu girl—as he had once called her.

"Give it to the nature conservative for all I care. I want nothing to do with mob money. I can make my own money," Sarah said vehemently. "You know what Anthony? Keep your money; I don't want any of it. And for all I care, you can rot in hell though I doubt that you will do that because you are too bullheaded to roll over and die." With the last word, she turned and stormed out of the house, slamming the door in her wake.

"My, my, Claudia. What kind of parenting did you do? That's girl's out of control and downright rude," Anthony chastised his daughter.

"Stop. Just stop. You can't even talk to me about parenting. You shipped me off to Italy because I reminded you of my mother," Claudia snapped. "You know, I don't necessary like my daughter's language, but at this time, I do agree with her—about you dying, anyway," She said, before turning and following in her daughter's footsteps.

Anthony watched Claudia walk away and for once felt a bit of remorse. He had pushed his family away all those years ago and for once, they'd listened. Now all he had was this monstrosity of a house, Maria's rose garden which he'd lovingly kept up over the years, and himself—just what he'd wanted. And what angered him most was the fact that even then, he wasn't satisfied.

XXXXXX

"Ugh! I don't know what he wants with me. If it's not Anthony, it's my father. And these days, I don't know what is worse." Steam was practically coming out of her ears as she raged. Mattie couldn't help but smile. Sarah was a quite a sight when enraged. She was a combination of her mother's hot temper and her father's level argumentative head.

Sarah stopped pacing and stared at Mattie. "Why are you laughing? I came for advice, not to be a zoo animal on display," She snapped, her hand connecting with the counter in emphasis.

"Sorry. But you are so funny when your pissed off," Mattie giggled. Then she became serious again. "It's not your fault. You can't choose your family. Don't let your grandpa get to you."

"Ooh! I don't know why I ask you—no offense—but you have a nice family. You have your Uncle Mac and you had your Grandpa Robert. You don't know what it is like to live with dysfunction," Sarah cried exasperatedly.

"Stop. Okay. I'm being serious. Just ignore your grandfather. It's not like you are going to listen anyway," Mattie replied, laughter threatening to bubble over.

Sarah's eyes widened. "Okay, point taken. I have to go. My shift at the station starts in a half an hour." With a wave, she walked toward the elevator. Just as the door was closing, Mattie heard her add, "Okay, you can laugh now!"

Chuckling, she walked down the hall toward the examination room. Sarah was a riot when she was mad, that was for sure. But honestly, Mattie didn't know how she handled the dysfunction. Mattie's life seemed so much calmer than her friends and that was just the way she liked it.

XXXXXX

Dillon Quartermaine walked into the parlor at the Quartermaine Mansion. He wore a look of scowl on his face. At this point, he was going to pummel anyone who came in him path. Who the hell did Starr think she was? If she thought that she could keep their daughter from him, she had another thing coming.

Today, he admitted that getting involved with Starr Manning while she was clearly in love with someone else was a major mistake. At the time though, he thought that she was the most beautiful thing he'd ever seen—second only to his first love, Georgie Jones.

But he had fallen head over heels with Starr and they had gotten married. They had their daughter Alexandria just two years later and they'd subsequently divorced when Alexandria had only been four. The divorce had only been a formality though; their marriage had been over almost from the beginning. Starr had never been able to get past her own first love Cole Thornhart.

Just as he'd never quite gotten over Georgie. Dillon remembered coming home to surprise her, only to find out that she'd been murdered by the man she'd believed to be innocent. He had been hoping that they could rekindle their relationship and then the chance was gone. Just like that, a dream dead like his beloved Georgie.

He'd returned to Los Angeles soon after the funeral, but he couldn't quite move on. Even the chance to be a director's assistant hadn't made him happy again. Granted, that chance had paid off as today he was the director. He was well-known these days—the Steven Spielberg of his era—as he was called.

But it didn't make up for the lost chance to revive his relationship with Georgie. A movie shoot in Llanview, Pennsylvania more than ten years after her death had brought him into contact with Starr Manning, a teacher and long-time resident of Llanview. They had had a whirlwind courtship and an even faster marriage. He'd stayed in Llanview with frequent trips to Los Angeles.

After the divorce, Dillon had returned to Los Angeles full time, while Starr stayed in Llanview with Alexandria. They had agreed that their daughter would live with her mother during the school year with frequent visits to her father on breaks. But Starr hadn't wanted that and after the divorced had been finalized, she had changed her mind about how often their daughter was to visit Dillon.

Now, after his move back to Port Charles, he wanted to see his daughter, but Starr was not budging. He was here in this giant house once home all the Quartermaine's, but now it was only home to Dillon.

His grandfather Edward had finally succumbed to a bad heart almost twenty years ago. Monica had died of cancer only five years ago. But Tracy was still around. She was one of the reasons Dillon was back on PC. He knew that his mother was ailing and needed help. And as his brother was still in Bensonhurst, NY and his niece Brook Lynn was busy touring for her most recent CD, he was the one to provide it.

Now if only he could convince Starr to let their daughter come to Port Charles to live with him, he knew that it would be the one bright light in his life.

Dillon stalked to the phone. He was giving Starr one more chance before was calling a lawyer. He wondered if Lila Alcazar was up to a custody case. Sighing, he picked up the phone and dialed the familiar number.

XXXXXX

So, what do you think so far? Dillon was not something I expected to write about. And for those fans of Starr and Cole, I had to put a little upheaval for her. But rest assured, after her divorce from Dillon, she did indeed marry her first love. I can't decide who Dillon should be interested in now. Maybe someone from AMC or another OLTL character? If you have any suggestions, let me know and I will be inclined to take them. Please read and review. Let me know if you don't understand something as well and I will clarify it for you. Enjoy!