They got out of the penthouse as quickly as they could, exiting the elevators into the parking garage. Julian was excited to have some time alone with Sam, but was nervous. Although they'd been reunited for almost a year, the relationship was still tentative as they continued to feel their way. "Wanna take my car?"

-"Um let's see, do I want to take the sporty convertible or my SUV with a carseat and goldfish crumbs everywhere. Let me think about it."

Julian laughed. "Noted, stupid question." He waited for the top to clear the front seat before opening the door. "You need something to cover your head?"

-"No. The ponytail should do it." Sam smiled, wondering how many trips ended with Alexis's hair in knots before Julian started stashing scarves in the glove compartment.

They drove out of downtown fairly quickly and hit the state road heading out towards the lake. "So." Sam turned to look directly at her father. "What are you keeping from Mom?"

-"I don't know what you're talking about. What do you mean?"

-"You were pretty quick to acquiesce to her boundaries, and they're kind of ridiculous. I expected more of a fight. And since you didn't give one, I can only assume that you have a way around them. Or that she didn't give us the right boundaries because she doesn't know what you are hiding."

Julian smiled at her assessment. His daughter may have gotten her mother's brains, but she got his street sense.

-"Let's just say I have a couple of leads I haven't shared with her yet."

-"Such as…"

Julian hesitated only for a moment before sharing that he had cameras around the lake house. He let her know the problems accessing the video from the camera most likely to have filmed her. Sam marveled at her father's nerve. If her mother knew he had placed cameras around her property, she would have killed him.

In spite of her concerns for Julian's future safety, Sam couldn't help but feel elated. They may actually be able to confirm her alibi. "OK. So we have damaged video from the most important sightline. But what about the other cameras?"

-"We'll get to them but they're not a priority right now. They wouldn't have captured you."

-"True, but they may have captured someone else."

-"Someone who may have seen you?"

-"Right. Or who may have been watching us…other than you of course."

Julian smiled. "OK. We're triaging the videos because the team isn't very big, but we can line those up next."

-"We don't have to wait," Sam said as she smiled. "I know a guy."

Sam considered her father as she stood on line at the coffee shop. He was on the phone, holding a table as he arranged to transfer the tapes to Spinelli. Based upon his demeanor, it seemed the team he hired was a bit miffed at the request, but Julian was strongly leveraging his status as a valued customer. She smiled a little bit as he threw in an idle threat or two. She assumed they were idle, anyway.

Julian was like a crossword puzzle to Sam, one of those impossible Saturday ones where you were excited to get a clue or two right off the bat and then had to struggle with internet searches to fill in more. You'd need to be a god to finish those—or her mother. But if you were lucky, you ended up with more squares filled than empty. That was her father: there were areas she knew immediately and things that were still completely blank.

It was odd to her that the traits she shared most with her parents weren't genetic but forged from experience. Sociologists would have considered them "nurture" had her parents actually raised her. But they hadn't. The features she inherited from her parents may include a dimple or a birthmark or the shape of her feet or a predisposition to cancer. But those physical components didn't create a parent/child bond: a shared worldview or history of experiences did. It took her years to find that commonality with Alexis. The walls each had built separately to bury the feelings or opinions that earned punishment growing up made mutual trust so hard to build. It took them years to truly connect.

Sam wanted something faster with Julian. And she felt he did, too. Julian didn't wait for events to happen, he propelled them into motion. There was a confidence and arrogance there that reflected the art of the hustle. Oddly enough, the same sleight of hand Cody McCall taught her to survive on the streets was the same skill employed by her father to remain undetected in witness protection for years. The Alexis part of her—the part that knew that love wasn't guaranteed and hearts were easily broken—told her to hold back. But the Julian part of her told her to plow forward, to risk it all on a single roll of the dice.

Sam's name was called and she brought the coffee back to their small table.

-"So I think we should head up to the gas station 20 miles up. I didn't hit that one yesterday. Our party boys and fishermen have to fuel up somewhere."

Sam seemed off in space as she murmured her response. "Sounds good."

Julian looked at his daughter, concerned. "What? Is everything OK?"

Sam smiled, "Yeah, why? Are you feeling a little nervous out here with your daughter?"

-"Actually, I'm feeling exceedingly grateful. Although I wish the circumstances were different."

-"You and I both."

-"But seriously. You had this look on your face. Your Mom gets it sometimes when she's thinking about asking me something but isn't sure if it's a good idea."

-"Ha. You're right. And that analysis, by the way, has added a second question I want to ask."

-"So ask the first one."

Sam sighed. "I don't know if I want to ask it."

-"Why?"

-"Because I really feel as though I'm starting to get you. And like you. And I don't know if I want to ask something that would change that."

Julian was very quiet. He could feel the tears well behind his eyes, and he focused on stirring his coffee while he tried to contain himself. He squeezed his eyes. "So on the one hand, I'm overwhelmed that you're starting to like me. And on the other hand…"

-"…you're worried you can blow it?"

-"Yup." He paused for a moment. "Ask it."

-"I don't know if I want to."

-"You're always going to have the question Sam. If it's the answer you want then you can move forward without worrying. If it's the answer you don't want, well, you know now. And maybe we can fix it." He paused. "Delaying the inevitable just erodes whatever foundation we have. The doubts eat through and weaken it. When it's confronted with a weight it collapses. I guess what I'm saying is this: not knowing hurts you in the long run. Believe me. I know this."

Sam nodded in sympathy. "You learned that with Mom?"

Julian smiled. "So is that the first question?"

-"Nope. It's the second. And don't you worry. We'll get to that one."

Julian laughed. "I'm sure we will." He took a sip of his coffee. "OK. So what do you want to ask?"

-"I don't want to talk about this here."

There was silence as they walked out to the car. Once they settled into their seats, Julian looked at his daughter expectantly. Sam took a deep breath and tried to ask in a normal tone of voice; she ended up choking out the question. "Danny. Why wouldn't you get tested for Danny?"

Julian looked down and said nothing. He should have anticipated this was the answer she needed. But it had been ignored for so long, the silence and his shame had thrust it to the back of his subconscious.

The quiet drove Sam to speak. "I mean, you said you would and then you didn't. I thought we meant something to you." She couldn't keep the hurt out of her voice.

He looked out at the shrubs that lined the parking lot as he formulated a response. "So before we have this discussion, Sam, I need to say two things. The first is that I love you and Lucas and Danny in a way I've never felt before. It exhilarates me and it makes me vulnerable in a way I've never been." Julian tried to find the right words to explain his frame of mind. "And the second thing you need to know is this: if I could take back everything at the end of last year, I would. But I can't. So know that some of this is in the context of last year."

Sam looked at him skeptically. It sounded like he was already trying to avoid responsibility, but she was willing to listen.

-"I came to Port Charles to take over Sonny's territory. I think we all know that. And I think we also all know that since Sonny didn't know Julian Jerome existed, I started the fight." Julian paused. "And you also realize I trust you or at least I trust that this is hearsay so you can't repeat it in court."

Sam smiled tightly. "Oh, I was married to a mob hitman. I got it, Julian."

She called him Julian. This wasn't going well. "So, I got Sonny pretty hot and bothered. I knew I was poking the bear, but we were on pretty even ground. When you came to me and asked me to get tested for Danny, well I said 'yes' and I meant it." Julian looked at his daughter. "You need to know this, Sam. I would do anything for you or for Danny. You may not believe that, but you need to know that was my train of thought."

-"You're right. I don't know if I believe you. I think I do, so for the sake of argument, let's assume that's the case."

Julian stifled his disappointment. "Fair enough. After we spoke, I heard that Sonny was planning on killing me."

-"And you still went to the gallery."

-"Because I wasn't going to die, Sam. I had Carlos ready for Shawn outside. And I couldn't let you down. I wanted to be there for Danny. It was important to me." He looked at her. "Ask Ava. If you ever feel like talking to her again, that is."

Sam looked at him. "Don't stop now. I'm hooked, Julian."

-"I didn't realize Sonny knew about the bug. And when I heard that, I was pretty sure Carlos was dead. I mean, he had to assume I knew his plans so he'd need more muscle. When I realized that, my odds leaving that gallery decreased considerably. I really thought I was dead."

He looked at her. Her eyes were hard, and she nodded at him to keep going.

-"And then you brought up Danny. I'm not going to lie, Sam. He wasn't at the forefront of my mind." He struggled to find the right words. "But when you brought him up, I panicked. He's my grandson. I love him. And I know you probably don't believe this, but I do. I did then, too." His tone became less apologetic and more defensive. "Even if I went to Silas—it was just a test Sam. There was no guarantee it would work…And I couldn't trust Sonny to understand that." Julian looked at her unsure if he was going to get a reprieve or be condemned. "I wasn't lying when I said he needed me to live. Danny did. Danny *does*"

Sam had tears in her eyes. "Sam, if you told me tomorrow that I could bank marrow for my grandson, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I'd do it quietly mind you, but I'd never risk Danny's life for mine." He was quiet before he continued. "But I wasn't going to risk Sonny's understanding of science to keep me alive either."

-"Julian. Do you know how much this has hurt me?"

-"I know. If I could take it back…if I were a postman who turned out to be your father, I would have taken every test and done everything possible. But the die was cast before I came back, Sam. I played the best hand I thought I had for Danny. And also for me. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want to live."

Sam felt the tears fall down her cheeks. She wiped them away with the back of her hand. Julian looked at her, unsure what to do. Should he hug her? Ask her if she was OK? Ignore it completely? He touched her arm tentatively, "Sam?"

-"It's nothing."

He pressed. "Does that answer your question?"

She let out a long sigh. "Yes." Sam took one of the napkins and blew her nose. There was a lot running through her head, and she needed to process it. She turned to him and said, "We should probably make our way to that gas station."

Julian was unsure what just happened, but he thought it best to follow her lead. "OK, sweetheart. Let's do it."

He started the car and had moved the gear to reverse when her hand covered his.

-"Thanks for answering the question, Dad."

-"Anytime, Sam."