"Can I have you attention please?" Spencer stood in the middle of the room and raised his hands to quiet everyone. The entire crowd stopped what they were doing and looked toward the disruption. Finally he had their attention. "I just want to thank everyone for attending our charity ball tonight. It means a great to deal to both myself and the belle of the ball herself, Miranda Montgomery."

He nodded as Miranda came to stand next to him. "Yes, I would like to thank you as well, from both myself and the Miranda Montgomery Foundation. As many of you know, the foundation is one that is close to my heart because it was my mother who came up with the idea more than thirty years ago. And today, we've helped over a million women in their time of need. Please, eat, drink, and enjoy the night!"

Just as it had ended, the conversation went back to buzzing again. Miranda took a deep breath and turned to Spencer. "So. It's a success." She grinned and pulled him toward the dance floor. "Come on, you owe me a dance."

Spencer laughed. "How can I deny you anything?" He pulled her into his arms as they swayed with the music. She closed her eyes and let herself move with him. He grinned and dropped a kiss on her lips. "We did well. The Miranda Montgomery Center just got a great deal richer."

XXXXXX

"Well, if it isn't two of my favorite people in Port Charles," said a sly voice from behind them.

Both Sarah and Molly turned around to see their father coming toward them. And both women frowned with disdain.

"Oh buzz off, dad," Molly muttered. She eyed Sarah and knew that neither of them wanted to get into this tonight. It was supposed to be a night of fun.

"Molly!" Ric exclaimed, as if surprised at her attitude.

Sarah raised her eyebrows. "Don't sound so shocked. It's not becoming."

"Sarah, Molly…I just came by to ask the two of you to allow me a dance," Ric admonished. He never understood their hostility toward him, but what he did understand, he blamed on their mothers.

He and Alexis had been hot once upon a time, but had sizzled out fast. And with Claudia, there was the sex factor, but she didn't do relationships. So that had been out as well. Then Claudia had discovered that she was pregnant. It wasn't something that either of them had planned. Ric couldn't have been more excited. He'd wanted to be in this baby's life, but Claudia fought him all the way. In the end, she'd mostly won. And now, Sarah held him in little favor.

"Leave the girls alone," Claudia purred, siding up next to him. She wore a black strapless gown that was cinched at the waist and flowed close to her body toward the floor. She put a hand on Sarah's shoulder and smiled at Molly. "I love the dress, Moll. It is Maxie's?"

Molly smiled briefly before turning her attention back to her father. "Why don't you go and bother someone else, dad." She took Sarah's arm and led her away.

Ric watched the two of them walk away and looked back at Claudia, bewildered. She rolled her eyes. "I don't know why you are so surprised. You weren't much of a father to them when they were kids. So you can't expect them to come running back to you now that they're adults." She shook her head and walked away.

Ric shook his head. It shouldn't matter what kind of father he was then. Now, he was making an effort and the least they could do was reciprocate.

XXXXXX

Molly was seated in a chair in the sitting room. She held her cell phone in her hand and waited for the return text. Matthew had just texted her to let her know that he was on his way. The launch was backed up with such a large number of guests and he had had to wait for the second trip to get over to Spoon Island.

She glanced up at the clock. It always seemed that she was waiting for him. They'd been dating for almost seven years, but it seemed as though she'd hardly spent any time together.

"Mr. Wonderful isn't here yet?" Spencer commented as he made his way over to her.

Molly glanced up and frowned. "Don't start Spence. Not here, not today," she warned.

Spencer held his hand in defense. "Okay, okay. I'm sorry, Molly. It's just—it seems that you're always waiting for him."

"He'll be here. He's late because of your launch," Molly snapped. Usually Spencer's good-natured ribbing didn't bother her this much, but even she was beginning to be annoyed by Matthew's penchant for delay.

"Listen Moll, I'm sorry. I'm sure that he will be here in a few minutes. If you want, I'll call the launch to see what the holdup is."

Molly sighed. She just couldn't be angry at her cousin. It was physically impossible. He was just too accommodating. She stood up and hooked an arm around his shoulders. "Come on. While I'm waiting, I might as well dance. And as my date isn't here, do you think Miranda would mind if I borrowed you for a while?"

"No, I think that she'd be okay with it. But only for a little while," Spencer led her out onto the dance floor. They wove through the other couples and found an empty spot. Spencer pulled her into his arms and moved to the music.

Molly laughed. "I knew all those dancing lessons would pay off someday."

Spencer grimaced. "Well, I didn't understand why I had to take them when the other kids were playing football."

"Oh you. You're a prince. Of course you would have to learn how to dance." She looked over and saw Miranda walking toward them. Next to her was Matthew. "Oh look who finally made it." She broke away and turned towards them.

Matthew shook hands with Spencer. "Thanks for inviting me to the party."

"No problem, I hope that you enjoy it," Spencer replied, his ingrained manners forcing him to be polite despite his feelings about the man.

"Yes, well, it's a very good cause—one that Buchanan Enterprises supports with much funding," Matthew said, leaning over to kiss Molly's lips. "Hi beautiful," he whispered.

Miranda reached for Spencer's arm. "And that is our cue to take our leave. Come one Spence, we'd better see that dinner will be served at the right time." They both waved and glided back across the room.

Molly's lips curved as she pulled him closer. "There's no need for public pecks."

"Yes, well. Your family doesn't think too highly of me and I wouldn't want to make them angrier at me by ravishing their little girl," Matthew replied cautiously.

Molly laughed aloud. "That's the funniest thing I've heard in a long time. Don't worry, Matthew. My mom is very progressive and my dad couldn't give a damn." She wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him back onto the dance floor. "So it's—" she gave him a long, slow kiss—"really okay."

"Okay." He shrugged, pulling her into him. "But I have a feeling that the after party will be a whole lot better."

Molly chuckled. "Oh yeah, it will be. But for now, just keep on dreaming."

Matthew grinned. "Did I tell you how beautiful you look tonight?"

"No, not in the last five minutes or so. But I wouldn't mind hearing it again."

"Okay. You are beautiful."

"Words to my ears."

XXXXXX

Kate walked in the ballroom and surveyed the crowd. When she saw what…or rather who, she was looking for, she walked across the room in pursuit.

"Maxie Jones-Scorpio, an explanation would be nice!"

Maxie looked up from the glass of wine that she'd been studying for the last five minutes and smiled. Her mind was back at the hospital with her sister and she couldn't wait for this night to be over so she could get to her. When she saw the body attached to the voice, her smile fell. "Hi Kate," she replied softly.

Kate immediately looked concerned. "Maxie, is everything all right?"

"Yes—it's fine," Maxie said quickly—too quickly.

Kate shook her head. "No. something is clearly off. Is it Spinelli or your uncle?"

"No, no. Everyone's fine. It's a little emergency, but it's not something that I'd like to discuss here. Please Kate. I'll tell you everything on Monday when I get to work, but I can't talk about it here. Not with the multitude of big ears in this room. It's too important," Maxie asked, desperately. She was practically begging.

"Okay, okay. I'll live with it. I just wanted to make sure that you are okay." Kate smiled and turned. She walked back across the room when she saw Jax standing near the bar. She wanted a dance from her second favorite man.

XXXXXX

Mattie laughed as she and Morgan walked off the dance floor breathless. They had been dancing from almost the moment they'd arrived and now she was in desperate need of a drink. Morgan walked up to the bar and ordered two glasses of champagne.

When they'd received their glasses, Morgan led her to the edge of the room and into the sitting room that was just beyond the ballroom. They walked over to a small settee in the corner and took refuge.

"Oh, my feet are killing me in these shoes. I knew that I shouldn't have let Maxie talk me into stilettos like these. I would have gone with a nice two inch heel or so, but Maxie claimed that such shoes were for grandmothers," Mattie said slipping her feet of her shoes and rubbing them.

Morgan grinned mischievously. "In that dress with those shoes, no one can mistake you for someone's grandmother." He leaned over and dropped a kiss on her nose. "I know that I definitely don't."

Mattie shoved him away playfully. "Oh you. Not here. Do you know how many people are here? Not to mention my dad and Uncle Mac. I can only imagine what kind of heart attack they'd have if they walked in here right now." But she grinned despite her reprimand.

"Well, maybe we'll have to sneak away and neck in the shadows later," Morgan replied suggestively.

Mattie gave a saucy smile. "Maybe we will." She slipped her shoe back on and got to her feet, pulling him with her. "But right now, I want to dance some more." She led in out of the room and back towards the noise of the ball. "Did I ever tell you that I love to dance?"

"No, I don't think you mentioned that," Morgan replied dryly, pulling her into his arms and swaying in sync to the music.

"Well, I do. When I was a little girl, I used to dance on my father's feet. He'd twirl me around and we'd have so much fun."

"That's a nice memory," Morgan replied softly. Mattie smiled and tucked her head on his shoulder. She was the perfect size, he thought. It was as if they were made for each other. Touching the small square box in his pocket and thinking of the pretty stone inside it, he hoped that she felt the same way.

XXXXXX

"Well, it is okay to be fashionably late," Lila commented as she and Cameron walked into the ball room. It was already alive with light and music. Together they walked across the room towards the bar.

Cameron ordered a soda for himself and a glass of wine for Lila. He was planning to stay sober tonight because he knew that no alcohol was necessary for the 'after-party' that he hoped Lila was up for. She was dressed to the nines in a light blue gown that was gathered in several places by a silver button. It was strapless and accented her fiery red hair, which was half pulled up and the rest curled down her back. He hoped that the evening would end with him pulling the dress off her slowly to reveal what was underneath.

Lila's voice pulled him out of his musings. "What's the matter, big guy? Tux too small?" Lila laughed as she took a sip of her wine. As every other woman did, she knew exactly what she did to a man. This knowledge only made her try harder. She knew exactly how Cameron wanted to end this night and had planned the whole thing herself. Not that she was going to tell that to him. It was always better if the man thought that it was his idea.

Cameron grimaced and gulped his soda. He looked up with relief when he saw his brother and Sarah walking towards them. He lifted a hand in a wave.

"Hi guys," Sarah said, kissing Lila on the cheek. "Great dress. Maxie's?"

Lila nodded. "Yes, but I got it off the rack the boutique. It was on sale too."

Sarah smiled. "That's the perfect way to get a dress that you will most likely only wear once."

"I know, isn't it?" Lila smoothed the satin material down. "I like yours too."

"Oh thanks. I actually got this one out of my sister's closet. She's such a clotheshorse that she has all these great clothes and usually only wears them once," Sarah replied.

Jake took a hold of Sarah's arm. "We'd better to the dining room if we are going to find our seats."

"Oh yes," She said, turning to look at Lila and Cameron. "Are you guys coming?"

They both nodded and began to walk through the throngs of people to the grand dining room that had been set up similar to The Metrocourt. They told the waiter their name and were led to a table that, ironically, seated Lila, Cameron, Jake, Sarah, Mattie and Morgan.

XXXXXX

Within minutes everyone was seated and the first course on the table. To save on time and confusion, Spencer had included in the invitations, a card that gave the dinner choices. Guests made their decision and sent the card back with their RSVP slip. It made for an easy time combined with seating arrangements.

Elizabeth Morgan picked up her napkin and placed it on her lap. She was deathly afraid that she'd ruin the beautiful dress that Maxie Jones had made especially for her.

"Your dress is going to be fine," Nadine commented, watching her 'sister-in-law'. Even though they weren't really related through marriage—as Elizabeth wasn't married to Lucky any longer—they'd always considered each other as such.

"I know. But I'm not used to dressing up all fancy so when I do, I'm always afraid that I'm going to ruin it."

"You know, I felt exactly like that not so long ago, but now look at me," Nadine replied, lifting her arms up in emphasis.

"But you are married to Nikolas Cassadine. You are a princess," Elizabeth pointed out.

Nadine shuddered. "Oh please, don't point that out. I think the whole Russian slash Greek royalty thing it ridiculous."

"Well, it's true." Elizabeth smiled and looked up as her salad was placed in front of her. She and Nadine resumed their easy conversation as they began to eat.

XXXXXX

Maxie jumped slightly as she felt her clutch purse vibrate slightly. She bent down to retrieve the silver bag and pulled out her cell phone. Reading the screen, she looked up suddenly at Spinelli, who wore a concerned look on his face.

"What is it?" he put his hand on her arm.

"It's the hospital." she pushed back her chair, rose and raced from the room. Spinelli followed her close behind.

She raced out of the dining room, past several confused diners, and into the sitting room. Opening her phone, she took a deep breath. "Hello?"

"Ms Jones-Scorpio?"

"Yes, this is she," Maxie was almost breathless. But she gripped her free hand around Spinelli's like a vise.

"Ms. Jones, this is Nurse Hale from General Hospital. I'm your sister's primary nurse."

"Yes, is she okay? Did something happen?" Maxie was practically hyperventilating now.

"Physically, your sister is fine. But there is good news: she's woken up. You left explicit instructions to call you if anything changed—" she started, but was cut off.

"She's awake? Is she okay? I mean—has a doctor checked her out yet?" Maxie blurted out.

"Ms. Jones, she's awake and very confused. I suggest that you come as soon as possible. Because Dr. Drake isn't on call tonight, her case was given to another doctor. She's being examined as we speak. But she's still very confused," the nurse replied.

"Oh-ok, I'll be right there. Thank you. I'll be there as soon as possible," Maxie finished and slapped the phone to a close. She looked up, wide-eyed, at Spinelli. "She's awake."

Spinelli hugged her. "That's great. We should be there." Together, they walked back to the dining room.

"I have to find Patrick. He should know, if he doesn't know already," Maxie said, hurrying over to the table where he was seated. "Patrick!"

Patrick looked up in surprise. "Maxie? What's wrong?"

Maxie was breathless, so Spinelli translated. "The hospital called."

Patrick frowned. "Is she awake?"

Maxie nodded. "We're going to go over there now. Are you coming?"

"Uh, sure. But Dr. Mire's a great doctor. She'll be in good hands," Patrick wiped his mouth and stood up. "You guys go ahead. I'll find Mattie and let her know and then I'll be on the next launch."

"Okay, thanks," Maxie replied, reaching for Spinelli's hand and leading him out of the room.

They walked to the coat check and after a moment, accepted their coats and were outside descending the stone steps. "Hurry Spinelli!" Within minutes, they were at the launch and loaded onto the boat.

Spinelli looked at his wife. "It's going to be okay, Maxie," he said, gripping her gloved hand.

Maxie turned to look at him. Her eyes were laden with tears. "It just occurred to me. I'm about to see the sister that has been supposedly 'dead' for twenty-nine years. I don't know what to say."

"You'll know when it comes down to it. And I'll be right beside you. I promise."

Maxie held on to Spinelli's hand as if it were her lifeline. She could only hope that Spinelli was right. She had so many questions for Georgie and she hoped that they would be answered. Maxie vowed to make every second count because life was too precious to lose.