Hope you enjoy. Let me know what you think…things should start moving a little quicker, but my muse isn't positive. There is a lot to get through and no need to hurry through everything so she says she will move at her pace lol.

Chapter Twenty-One

As Mac watched the Elevator doors began to creep open, he felt like he was about to hurl. Could a person die of nervous energy? When the doors were wide enough for him to escape, he moved quickly from the constraining walls of the elevator.

"Good evening Mr. Scorpio." Francis said congenially. His loyalty was to Elizabeth but he understood the stress and strain this man was under, if he didn't pull his head out of his ass, then he'd hold it against him but causing issues between the two wouldn't be in his best interests.

"Mr. Corelli…" Mac offered, quickly rubbing his hands down his pant legs. It felt like he was on trial and awaiting the death sentence. When he woke this morning, this was the last thing he thought he would have to deal with. "Might I…will she see me?"

"I'm sure she will. She's headstrong not unnecessarily cruel. Whether it is my place or not, I am putting it out there, do not hurt her, her entire life has been a lesson in cruelty. If you have no desire to be a father or get to know her, let her down now." There was so much more he wanted to say but once again had to bite his tongue. The whole situation was a powder keg just waiting to explode and sadly, the wrong word or even action could cause this whole thing to blow.

"I get that, maybe not in the broadest sense but I understand she has been through a lot but what you all seem to forget, I've spent most of my adult life believing I had no children besides those of my ex-wife's. I loved Robin like she was my own, I love Maxie and Georgie like they are my own but to suddenly find out I have an adult daughter, to know that it was me she would have come to with all her ails…I wouldn't be uncle or Mac, I would have been daddy…You don't understand the sheer bitterness I feel at being denied this. At some point, I may get lucky enough to be called dad but…I'll never be her hero, than man she judges all other men against. I was robbed of some of the best moments in her life, can you please understand that this is just as much a shock to me as it is to her." Mac offered sadly.

"Mac" Sonny said as he stepped further into the hall.

"Son…err…Mr. Corinthos…is there something I can help you with?" Mac asked warily.

"Actually, it is more what I can do for you, if you'd like. I'd hate for you to be considered on the take, for taking help from a lowly gangster…" Sonny said with a wry smile.

Taking a deep breath, Mac weighed his options and realized he was going to have to take help where he could get it, nothing and no one was more important than helping his daughter. "I'd appreciate any and all help in this instance. If it helps, I plan on taking a leave of absence from the force..."

Unable to think of anything appropriate, Sonny simply said, "That is your choice to make. Come, we'll go to my office. I'd offer the living room but my wife is up in arms over the treatment of Elizabeth by those she thought to be her parents…It wounds a man's pride when he has to phone his wife's parents to get her to listen to you."

"Not nearly as much as walking in on your wife mid-coitus with Luke Spencer I bet!" Mac exclaimed before blushing slightly.

Francis watched as his boss choked on his gulp of cognac. Rushing to his aid, he gently, yet forcefully smacked him ono the back. "You okay boss?"

Pushing his overly helpful guard's hands away, Sonny said, "Fine, fine…you'd think I would have learned to swallow…Mac?"

"Your office will be fine." Mac said but before he took the first step he quickly said, "Would you mind if I just speak to Elizabeth quickly, let her know I'm coming back…"

"Not a problem, Francis, when he is ready, please bring him over." Sonny said before exiting the hallway.

Not waiting to see if the man would chicken out or not, Francis strode quickly to the door and poked his head inside, "Mr. Scorpio has requested an audience with Miss Webber."

Jason looked at Francis like a deer in headlights. He wasn't expecting company, well, he was and wasn't…"Sure, please show him in, I'll get Elizabeth." Jason said in a slightly high voice.

'Get it together Morgan, you weren't caught defiling his teenage daughter, you weren't caught at anything…' Jason said as he quickly strode from the room. "Elizabeth, your father is here to see you."

"OH GOD!" Elizabeth said before she quickly looked for a place to hide.

"That's not going to work, he'll likely just wait. Come on, find your true grit and get this over with. I believe in you." Jason said as he gently took her arm, directing her to the living room.

"Da…Mr. Scorpio…" Elizabeth struggled with her words; nothing sounds right coming from her mouth.

"I know you probably don't have a great sense of me as a person after what I have done but please understand that today was a lot to take in, I wasn't rejecting you, just unsure how to assimilate what was with what I thought I knew. I'm sure you know how it feels to be blindsided and you probably didn't take it any better than I did, and for that I am sorry. I don't know how this has happened, but I do promise you this, I won't rest till we understand everything and those that stole you from me pay." Mac said with sincerity.

Jason was feeling like a fly on the wall and while he wanted to be there for her, he knew it was important for her to be able to stand on her own two feet and deal with what was to come. No matter his misgivings, he was going to have to let her do so without his hovering. Going against everything in his nature and heart, he quietly slipped into the kitchen and prayed he wasn't making a huge mistake.

"I'm sorry for seeming so flaky today, but you are right, it has been a lot to take in and being blindsided with so much and yet so little information, kind of threw me for a loop. I know I could have handled the situation better but I tend to do and or say whatever, whenever and damn the consequences, Piph says my impulse control needs a lot, a lot of work, although she through in about fifteen more a lot's…" Elizabeth said while wringing her hands.

Unsure if his advance would be welcomed, Mac slowly sunk down on to the couch next to his daughter…daughter, wow that still baffled him and if he was honest, delighted him. There was so much that needed to be discovered…"You have nothing to apologize for, you've had a hard life and if it helps, I didn't get a handle on my impulse control well into my 30's. I know we have a lot to talk about but Sonny said he wanted to speak to me but I didn't want you to think I didn't want to see or talk to you…I don't think there is a right way to do anything in this situation but I didn't want you to wonder whether I was never going to show up or…I had some things I had to get in order but I want you to understand, no matter what, even if the DNA test comes back and says you are not mine…after such a short amount of time, you've already fitted your way into my heart and I'll do whatever I can to help you and those you care about, sort everything out."

"I guess I don't understand how that works because I've been so closed off for…well, my whole life but if you say so. I'll appreciate all the help I can get. It feels like I am sitting on a precipice, just waiting for life to start, like that won't happen until everything is out in the open. But…I guess you could call this my first daughter-ly advice…you look like you are ready to collapse, why don't I get Jason to tell Sonny you'll be by tomorrow and you can take tonight to get a good night sleep. If you don't want to travel or have a…coffee importers guard drive you, you can crash in my room, Jason offered me his." Elizabeth said, and then blushed deeply.

"Excuse me?" Mac asked in his best father-knows-best voice.

"Oh…well, because of the heat stroke Dr. Alan wants me monitored for the night, so Jason is going to wake me when he needs to…you know, for fluids and such…" Elizabeth said softly while still blushing.

There was so much he wanted to say but knew whatever he said would not be taken the way he meant it, Mac choose to shy away from that and get back to the matter at hand. "I feel like whatever Sonny has to say could be…time sensitive…"

"I'm here, alive and as it stands, no one knows I'm here, well…not really anyway. But nothing is time sensitive enough that you can't catch some sleep. You won't be and help to me or yourself if you run yourself ragged. You'll learn, I have a huge guilt complex, so if you get sick or hurt while trying to help me, without taking care of yourself, then that will just heap more guilt on to my shoulders…dad."

"You may not have practice at it but that was a perfect daughter guilt trip…well done. Fine…I'll go home and get some sleep and tend my leave of absence, possible resignation and get back here bright and early in…" Mac stopped when he saw Elizabeth's face. "What?"

"Not…too early right?" Elizabeth asked with wide, innocent eyes.

"Not a morning person?" Mac queried with a smile.

"Mornings and me don't really get along unless we really have to and with me staying up here, my cat won't have the chance to demand anything so I might get that much more sleep. Piph doesn't know I heard her but she was promising Francis that she'd make a big brunch around 11 tomorrow, would that work for you? You could eat with…me and then go to your meeting with Sonny?"

"Sounds good, really good. Thank you for not holding my lapse in judgement earlier against me. I promise to make a better showing from here on out." Mac said. "Would it be alright if I hugged my daughter?" The more he said it, the better and better it sounded.

"That would be nice." Elizabeth said, moving slightly forward before pulling back. 'Come on, he's your dad, don't be like this…grow a back bone…' she said to herself.

Mac carefully leaned forward, keeping his movements subtle and unthreatening. As soon as his arms closed around her, he realized he could stay here in this moment and die a happy man. Hugs from nieces and surrogate-like daughters were wonderful but the hug of his daughter…it was indescribable. Absolute perfection!

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"Francis, I need to see Sonny…as my daughter so succulently told me, I need to sleep. I'm sure if she had known me better, she'd probably have told me I looked like death warmed over or the like but when one screws up as badly as I have, I'll take her concern to heart." Mac said with a wide smile.

"No problem let me run in and let him know. Did you want to reschedule or?" Francis asked.

"Elizabeth invited me to Piph's brunch and wondered if after that wouldn't be a better time to see Sonny. Think that will work?"

"That will be fine, head on down; I'll have Enzo tail you to make sure you get home safe." Francis said before walking into Sonny's penthouse.

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