"You're not supposed to be here, Spencer," Miranda whispered drawing her hand away from his. He sat next to her, gaping at her reaction.

"What?"

"Go home. I'm fine. I will be fine," she replied stubbornly, knowing that her pleas would fall on deaf ears. He wouldn't budge until she told him what was going on.

"No. I'm not leaving."

She closed her eyes, willing the tears that threatened back. "Please…"

"Tell me what happened, Miranda," Spencer asked.

She shook her head. "I can't."

"Yes, you can. Or I will find out from a doctor. Your doctor wouldn't tell me anything but I'm persuasive," Spencer replied coolly.

And she knew that he would. "Okay, I'll tell you. But please, remember that I didn't know until today."

"Didn't know what?" Spencer asked, reaching for her hand again. This time she allowed him to take it.

"That I was pregnant."

Nothing she could have said surprised him more. "What?"

She looked down at her lap, humiliated. She'd known that it would go this way. She took a deep breath. "I—"

Spencer cut her off. "You're pregnant?" He gripped her hands tighter, joy in his eyes. Then he stopped, nearly dropped her hands. "Wait. Was?"

She couldn't help the tears now. They fell now, big, fat tears that had her shoulders jerking up and down. He didn't know what to say. So he did the only thing he knew to do: he leaned in the gathered her in his arms, allowing her to cry into his shoulder.

"Shhh…" he whispered, keeping up a calming sound. It seemed like hours when her sobs quieted. He continued to hold her, even as she pulled back.

"I lost the baby."

He sucked in a breath and put his forehead to hers, taking a moment to gather his thoughts. "Miranda…I'm so sorry."

Miranda leaned back. "I-I didn't know that I was pregnant. I didn't think that I could get pregnant. But I've been so tired lately. And then the cramps started, this morning. I didn't know what to do, what was wrong. But before I could think, I started to bleed. And my aunt found me and—" she stopped talking when he put a finger to her lips.

"Stop, stop. It's not your fault. None of this is your fault."

Her mouth opened but no sound came out. Then she shook her head. "How can you say that?" she cried, pulling out of his arms. He sat back in the chair, helpless while she raged. "How can you say that it wasn't my fault? I lost our baby—your baby—the heir to the Cassadine fortune."

"It's not your fault. I would have loved this baby. But it can't be helped. And all that matters is that you are okay." Ignoring her protests, he pulled her back into his arms. "Stop. I love you and no matter how sad I am that we will not be having this child, I am so glad that you are okay."

"Spencer…"

"No. Don't pull away. Please God, don't pull away." Spencer was practically begging now.

Suddenly she felt very tired, so tired that it was difficult to keep her eyes open. "Okay," she replied simply. She leaned against him. "Don't leave, Spencer. Please don't leave me."

He closed his eyes and dropped a kiss on her head. "Never. I love you Miranda. I will always be here. Sleep now."

He laid her back on the bed, pulling the blanket up. She closed her eyes, still gripping his hand, and fell asleep almost instantly.

Spencer sat in the dim room for hours. He knew that it was sometime in the early morning. But there was no way he was leaving. His mind was racing with all that she'd told him.

Miranda had been pregnant with his child and now she wasn't. As grateful as he was that she was okay, he still mourned for the child he hadn't known existed. He knew that he would have loved his child, but he loved Miranda more and it horrified him to think of a moment when she wasn't in his life.

If she wanted to be a mother, he'd find a way for her to be. That was a promise that he made to himself and her. Spencer gripped her hand, not willing to let her go.

He loved Miranda Montgomery and would do anything to fight for her. That was a promise.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

For the first time in a very long time, Maxie felt a little joy in her heart. It was something that had slowly leeched out in the middle of all the tragedies that had befallen her family. But now, it seemed to be back.

As was her family. She felt that joy begin to seep back inside her because she knew that after all these years, her family was back together. And tonight's dinner proved that blood is stronger than water.

She stepped out of the car behind her daughters who were already at the front door of Uncle Mac's house. She grabbed the cream pie she'd made for dessert and hurried up the walk just as Mac opened the door.

"Hi Uncle Mac!" Jamie exclaimed, hugging him as she walked by. Fiona managed a smile and managed to dodge Mac's quizzical look as to her attitude. Maxie sighed before giving Mac her own hug.

"Don't mind Fiona," she whispered in his ear. He pulled her back to look at her face. She shrugged. "She's a teenager, she's moody. We just have to either live with it or ignore it."

Mac smiled, thinking back to when his three girls had been teenagers. "She'll be fine," he said, patting Maxie's cheek and eyeing the dessert Maxie still held in her hands. "Pie?"

She raised her eyebrows. "After dinner. Is anyone else here?" She looped her arm through her uncle's and walked into the living room.

"No, not yet. Patrick said he might be a little late and Mattie was having Morgan pick her up at her apartment after work. Is Spinelli coming?" Mac asked and made Maxie chuckle. After his adamancy that Maxie would regret marrying Spinelli all those years ago, he'd grown quite fond of the computer geek, more so after he'd stopped speaking in euphemisms.

"Yes, but not until after six-thirty. He was finishing up some work at the PCPD," Maxie answered, walking toward the kitchen with her pie. Tantalizing smells of pot roast were wafting out. "Mac, you overdid yourself. This looks great."

"I wanted tonight to be special. Is Georgie coming?"

Maxie turned around from the stove and smiled. "Yes. She is. S-she's bringing someone."

Mac's eyes narrowed. "I wasn't aware that she was seeing anyone. I mean, she just got back to town."

"Well, I'd say that she's been seeing this one for a while. Mac, she's rekindled her relationship with Dillon Quartermaine," Maxie replied, unsure of Mac's reaction.

"Really. That's great. I'd heard that Dillon was divorced. I think that they're good together. At least they were back then," Mac said happily just as the doorbell rang.

Maxie finished checking the pot roast, wiped her hands dry on a towel took a deep breath. She was ready to have her family back as one again. She smiled now, as she walked into the living room and saw that not only had Matt and Kelly Hunter arrived, but also her husband.

"Spinelli, you got off early," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. He kissed her.

"Yeah, I figured that nothing I had to do at work was more important than this. Did I miss anything?"

She giggled. "No, not yet. I was the first one here."

"Good." He pulled her to him, his arm around her shoulders as the Hunters walked in with their children.

"Hey guys!" Maxie called.

Kelly handed Mac a bag of dinner rolls. "Matt wouldn't let me cook so this is my only contribution." It was said with a hint of laughter.

"Hey! I didn't want to have to completely re-do our kitchen—again!" Matt quipped.

"It was once. And it was a new stove not the entire kitchen," Kelly replied derisively.

"And the new one was beautiful," Maxie put in, remembering her own bumbling attempt at cooking in the early days of her marriage.

Just then the doorbell rang again and Patrick and Mackenzie walked in this time. "Hello all!" Mackenzie called, holding a cheesecake in her arms.

Maxie took the dessert and walked back to the kitchen. Pie and cheesecake, what treats! When she went back into the living room, Patrick and Matt were telling everyone about their escapades in the OR.

Mackenzie rolled her eyes as Kelly joined in, describing when an expectant father actually passed out, got a concussion, and missed the birth of his child. She leaned over to Maxie who was seated two chairs away. "That's what we get for having all these doctors in the family. All the talk is about medicine."

"That'll end. Here's Morgan and Mattie. Now it will be about weddings," Maxie replied, motioning to the new couple who had just arrived.

Mac took their coats and motioned them to the table where almost everyone was seated. Maxie looked around for a second. Everyone that is, except Georgie. She had a niggling worry that Georgie backing out.

But then the doorbell rang again. Maxie got up herself to answer it and was relieved to see that Georgie and Dillon were finally there.

"Hey," she said, hugging her sister. She smiled at Dillon, not entirely sure of what to say.

"Hi. Sorry we're late. I was almost to chicken to come, but Dillon convinced me," Georgie shrugged out of her jacket and hung it in the hall closet. She took a deep breath and glanced at her sister.

Maxie tried to suppress her grin. "It's your family, not a firing range. Don't look so steely. You'll get wrinkles." But she took her sister's hand and walked in with her just the same. "Look who's here!"

Everyone called out shouts of welcome and hello. Dillon and Georgie were seated together two chairs down from Maxie and Spinelli. Mac took his place at the head of the table.

"Before we eat, I just want to say how happy I am that we could all get together. I am so very happy to have Georgie back with us. I also want to congratulate Mattie and Morgan on their wedding. So without further ado, dig in!"

As bowls and platters were passed around the table, conversation turned genial. Maxie handed a platter of potatoes and carrots to Mattie. "So, I just wanted to tell you that this wedding is going to be better than you ever imagined."

Mattie smiled happily. "Good. I hope so. You don't know how glad I am that you are doing it for me. I feel so stress-free right now that I don't know what to do."

Morgan leaned over to Mattie as he took a bowl of rolls from Mackenzie. "I know what to do," he whispered suggestively into her ear. She kicked him underneath the table, but grinned anyway.

"Maxie showed me the bridesmaid dresses," Mackenzie said, cutting her meat into bite-size pieces. "They look great. You chose really great colors—especially for a wedding around Christmas."

"And she looks great in deep, dark colors," Kelly added. She handed her daughter a carrot. "Eat it," she ordered. The thirteen-year-old balked and grumbled, but took the vegetable and studied it.

"It's really not that bad," Patrick said to her in a stage whisper. He took a bite of his own carrot to show Lauren that he was speaking the truth. "If you dip it in the gravy, it tastes just like the potatoes."

"That sounds like my daughter," Dillon said, taking a sip of his wine. Mac clued in immediately.

"You have a daughter, Dillon?" he asked, passing the pepper when Matt motioned for it.

Dillon nodded as he swallowed. "Yeah, she's sixteen; lives in Llanview right now with her mother. But she's moving here for second semester right after the holidays."

"Wow. That's interesting. What's her name?" Mac replied, failing to catch Maxie's eye when she tried to get him to stop.

"Alex."

"She's really nice. I met her a couple of weeks ago. Dillon's pretty lucky to have a beautiful and smart daughter like that," Georgie spoke for the first time. She was trying to take it all in.

Her family had spent so much time together in the last thirty years that they anticipated each other's reaction. She was an outsider, someone who was new, someone who didn't have a role in this story.

Sensing her hesitation, Dillon placed his hand over hers. She looked at him gratefully, taking a sip of her wine. "It'll be okay," he murmured.

Maxie also saw her sister's pause. She tried to turn the attention off her, but there was no such luck for Kelly jumped in again.

"So, Georgie. Do you think that you'll go back to work for the WSB?"

Georgie gaped for a brief second, but caught herself. "Um, I don't know. I have a meeting with my superior after the holidays. Obviously, I won't be able to go back and do the exact same thing I did before, but I'm certain that I will still have a role within the agency." It was about the only place she was certain where she had a role, she thought to herself.

"Wow, you must have enjoyed the fast-paced life to stay in it that long," Matt gestured with his fork as he spoke.

Georgie shrugged. "I chose it a long time ago and it was just as easy to keep working. But, yes, I think that I do enjoy it. It's my life." she slanted a glance at Maxie, willing her to stay silent.

Thankfully, she did. She then managed to steer the conversation away from Georgie. "Mattie, you will have to let me know when you are free next week so that you can try on your dress. It's really beautiful. Federico did a spectacular job on it."

"I still can't believe that my wedding dress in a designer dress. I mean, I know that I've worn your dresses, but for some reason, I never equate you and designer together," Mattie laughed, taking a forkful of potatoes.

Maxie rolled her eyes. "Oh thanks. I would have designed your dress, but you were so adamant about getting married three weeks after you became engaged."

"Why wait?" she said, eyeing Morgan. He laughed and hugged her close.

"My sentiments exactly. I mean, she's been chasing me for the better part of the last decade."

"That's very true, much to her father's horror," Kelly said, laughing. She reached over and poked Patrick in the shoulder. "But who's to get in the way of true love. If that were the case, you would have never married Robin."

"Hey, I managed to convince her!" Patrick rubbed his shoulder and shot a hurt look in the direction of his sister-in-law.

"Just in time too, or she would have delivered Mattie in the church," Matt threw in, not missing the moment to tease his brother.

"Okay, children," Mackenzie said primly. "Let's at least act like we like each other."

Patrick turned on his youngest daughter. "You're one to talk. You spent your entire adolescence shooting dark glances and glowering at us."

"I grew out of it," she shot back.

Fiona abruptly pushed her chair back, scraping it on the floor. As everyone stared on in surprise, the teenager ran from the room. The front door slammed shut as she ran outside.

Maxie turned to her husband. "What's her problem?"

"It sounds like she is taking after her cousin," Matt commented, taking a sip of his wine and wincing when his wife elbowed him on the gut. "Hey!"

Kelly frowned and shook her head. "Was it something we said?" She glanced at her own daughter seated two seats away from her.

Maxie sighed and Spinelli shook his head. "No…she's been moody like that for weeks."

"It's the age," Mac supplied, he passed the meat platter to Patrick.

Georgie pushed her chair back and patted her sister's hand. "I said that I would talk with her. What better time than the present?" She walked out of the room, snagging her coat before opening the door and stepping outside.

As she closed the door, she could hear loud conversation resume. At least some things were normal. She walked across the porch, making out Fiona's form on the porch swing. "Fiona?"

"Did my mother send you out to rescue me?" she asked haughtily.

Georgie stopped just in front of the girl, surprised at her niece's tone. "That's not very nice."

Fiona shrugged. "I don't care." She brought her knees up to her chin, her arms hugging them.

"Yes, you do. You know that you do."

"What do you know? You don't even know me, so don't act like you do. You can't just drop back into this family and expect a welcome," Fiona replied bitterly.

"No, I can't. And that is partly my fault. But I've come to terms with it. Your mother has too, so I don't know why you have such an attitude," Georgie conceded. She motioned to the bench. "Can I sit?"

Fiona didn't answer so Georgie sat anyway. They sat in silence for several minutes. Georgie stared out at the lightly falling snow. Then she couldn't stand it any longer. "Fiona, I don't know you. And although I'd like to know you, I won't force myself upon you. On the other hand, I love your mother. She was my sister long before she was your mother. And I hurt her. I'm trying to set thing to right."

Fiona turned to her aunt. "Mom thinks that you are so great. She is so excited that your back. But what about when you leave? I mean, you have to have a life somewhere."

"I do, and I will go back. But I will always be here. I will always be a phone call away, no matter how far away I am geographically," Georgie replied, still not understanding the correlation between her return and Fiona's attitude. "Fiona, you need to tell me what's wrong."

The girl sighed. "Mom's so happy now that you're back. She doesn't worry about everything anymore. She acts more like Dad says she was when she was young. And I feel like she's forgetting me."

"What? Fiona, what are you talking about? Your mother loves you," Georgie couldn't believe what she was hearing.

Fiona sighed. "I know that she loves me. But she's just not been noticing me. I got a D on my English paper last week. I've never gotten anything less than a B and she didn't even notice. My boyfriend cheated on me and we broke up. I just wanted to talk to her, to ask her advice on how to move on. But she was too busy with your miraculous return and Mattie's wedding."

"Oh sweetie," Georgie's voice was laden with pity.

"Don't. Don't pity me. Maybe I purposefully failed my paper to test her. I wanted to see if she noticed me. And she didn't!" Fiona looked down, tears beginning to fall. Shudders wracked through the girl.

Georgie pulled her niece into her arms, allowing the girl to cry out her emotions before speaking again. "I'm so sorry that you are feeling like this."

Fiona pulled back. "It's not your fault."

"No, but I feel terrible that my return has taken away from your relationship with your mother," Georgie said, having a quick internal debate with herself. "I know how it feels to lose a relationship with a child."

Fiona shifted and stared at her aunt. "What?"

Georgie willed herself to speak matter-of-factly and to keep the tears at bay. "Fiona, you were right when you asked if I had a life in New York. I did, but it was taken from me."

"What happened?"

"My little girl died. When she was just your age. She and my husband died together."

Fiona's eyes widened and Georgie wondered if she was old enough to take in the information.

"Wow. I'm so sorry."

Georgie nodded. "I don't have a relationship with my little girl anymore. So it hurts me to think that I may have come in the middle of you and your mother. That was never my intention. You have to know that."

"I know. And I'm sorry for being to mean," Fiona sighed, perfectly chastised.

Georgie shook her head. "No. You don't need to apologize to me. You need to tell your parents that you are sorry. I only ask that you not allow that relationship to ever change. I know what is like to feel lost, but you have two parents who love you. Promise me that, Fiona."

"I promise. And I'm sorry anyway. I had no reason to be rude to you."

Georgie laughed lightly. "I've heard worse. But I would like to get to know you. I think that you are a smart, beautiful girl and I would like to be your friend."

"I'd like that too." Fiona reached over and threw her arms around her aunt. "Welcome home."

"Thanks. Now how about we go back inside and warm up. If you want to check your face in the bathroom, I'll cover for you." She took and pulled Fiona up with her.

"Okay." Together, they stepped inside and back to chaos.

GH*GH*GH*GH*GH

So, Fiona's so-called problem was pretty lame. I just couldn't think of anything to write for her. She's a secondary character whose only real role is as Maxie's daughter. Sorry it you are disappointed. I still appreciate the reviews. For some reason, I don't get very many. Either way, I hope that you enjoyed this latest installment.