Hey guys! The response to this story has been insane, so I decided that this was going to become an actually story. It will follow Ava's pregnancy by month. So when Claudia arrived she was four months pregnant. Enjoy!

Month 5

Claudia snuck into her daughter's room at four thirty in the morning. They had been living under Sonny's roof for two weeks and she had loved how close Ellie and Sonny had gotten. Ellie being here had also taken the pressure off of both Claudia and Ava. Claudia had been able to leave the house, get away from Sonny's overbearing personality, but Ava was stuck in the house. Sonny wasn't allowing her to leave or have a phone or even have access to a computer. Claudia didn't know how to help; she didn't know how to get Sonny off of Ava's back. All of these compiled issues were stressing Claudia more than she had ever been stressed in the five years since she left. Everyone wanted a piece of her daughter; Ellie's siblings, her father, even the guards. So four thirty in the morning was the only time Claudia had with Ellie that was exclusively hers. It didn't matter that her daughter was sound asleep, she would pick her up, take her over to the rocking chair that was in the corner of her room and they would just rock back and forth.

This morning was no different, but the weight of Ava's life was lying heavily on Claudia's heart. Ellie had fallen in love with Ava in the two weeks that they had all been living together, she obviously didn't know that Ava only had approximately four months left to live. Every time Sonny and Ava were in the room together, claws came out, whether or not Ellie was in the room. She didn't want to raise her daughter in this environment, but Ava needed her to stay, she needed her attitude and bitchiness.

"Oh, baby girl, what am I going to do? I need to save Ava, I was almost her, if Uncle Rudy hadn't stepped in and rescued me, we both wouldn't exist. Your dad would probably kill me if I helped her escape, though. And the paternity test is today. I don't know if it's better for the baby to be your dad's or your brother's. Why do people like us always end up in situations like this?"

She continues to rock her, she knows its around five now, but it's still dark outside. This room was supposed to be her son's; she thought it was perfect because of the large windows that allowed anyone to see the moon. The room had once caused her so much pain to be in, to even look at the door hurt, but now it was filled with a dresser and a rocking chair and a bed with fluffy pillow and princess sheets. The room had been painted a bright yellow when she had first brought Ellie here, Sonny insisted on it feeling like home to Ellie. She didn't know how she was going to tell him that eventually they had to do back, both of them had a life in Italy, they had a family there.

She runs a finger down the smooth, baby soft skin of her daughter's face, trying to memorize every part of her. She missed having her daughter all to herself, she knew it was selfish to keep her away, but all Claudia had known for the past four years was one-on-one time with Ellie. She kisses her forehead before getting up to put her back into her bed. She pulls the sheets and comforter around the child's small body and smiles. She's so peaceful, that's what she always wanted for her child. As she's standing in the dark she hears the floorboards outside of the door creak. Her body freezes as she listens carefully, the sounds head to the stairs and finally goes down the steps. She looks back at her daughter one last time before leaving the room without making a sound.

She's always been fleet of foot and quiet even while on the old hard wood floors of her father's house. It's come in handy when she's needed to be somewhere without being detected. The only time that was different was when she was pregnant, the added weight made her unbalanced and therefore made her loud. The house is dark, but she knows it like the back of her hand and when she makes it to the bottom of the stairs she sees that the kitchen light is on. She figures it's Ava, because it's the stereotype that pregnant women can be found in the kitchen. As she gets closer to the kitchen, she decides she should probably make her presence known.

"Ava?"

She finds her friend sitting at the table, pint of cookies and cream ice cream in hand. It makes her laugh and Ava rolls her eyes. Claudia takes the seat across and truly looks at her. She has dark circles on her eyes. Baby kicks and death threats are not exactly cohesive to sleep, she understands that. The kitchen is dim, Ava only turned on the light over the sink.

"Holy crap, Claudia, you practically made me drop my ice cream!"

Claudia busts out in laughter, but tries to keep it quiet. The rest of the house is fully asleep and unaware of the antics happening in the kitchen. That's Claudia's favorite part of the house- that it's so spread out that you can't hear what's happening from one room to the next.

"I don't know, you have a pretty good handle of it, don't know if you could ever drop it."

"Hey I may be being held hostage, but at least Sonny listens to me when I ask for ice cream. He even gets the right kind!"

They both grin at each other, but Ava's smile falls fast. She spoons the ice cream in her mouth at a quick succession and Claudia's smile turns sad. She sat at this same table almost six years ago, drowning her worries in a pint of ice cream as well, but no one was there to witness her downfall.

"You're nervous about the paternity test today, huh?"

Ava sets the ice cream down, resting her spoon in the container. Both her hands rest of her protruding abdomen; it's where Ellie likes to rest her head when it's close to naptime. Claudia wishes Sonny would walk in the scene just once of the three of them watching TV, Ellie with her thumb in her mouth with her head resting on Ava's stomach. She wishes there was something she could do to protect this woman.

"No. I mean what's the point in being nervous? The baby is either Sonny's or Morgan's, it's not like I'll even be alive long enough to hold my child. He'll probably just kill me then and there. Who cares about witnesses, right? He's doing the world a favor by ridding it of me."

Claudia scowls at her. They had been working on her bitchiness, but she still couldn't stand up to Sonny and that was the main goal.

"My Lord, Ava, stop that. What about Kiki or this baby? They need their mom. What about Ellie? I mean I think she likes you better than me most days. If Sonny does really kill you, I'm taking our daughter and going home, because you are the only thing that makes Port Charles bearable."

Ava smiles at her. She takes another spoonful of ice cream and lets out a yawn before speaking.

"The feeling is mutual. Why do you think I kept shooting people before you got here? I obviously was trying to reset the population of Port Charles. Maybe it worked, divine intervention replaced Connie with you!"

Claudia laughs while thinking about a week ago when Sonny and Ava were arguing like usual. He yelled something about Ava shooting Olivia and Claudia stopped the argument with her laughter. Sonny had glared and Ava had looked confused. Claudia looked up from her crossword puzzle to make eye contact with Sonny and tell him that it was because he had cheated her with the skank.

"And the only reason you think Ellie likes me more is because when people come over, they don't come near me and she doesn't like most of the people that come. They actually talk to you Claudia, obviously you've gained a heart during your time away."

Claudia sighs, it was true, even Carly had managed to be civil toward her, which made her wonder if she was more likeable than her past self. She didn't really care whether or not people liked her, but it was nice to walk around town and not get glared at. It was a big difference from five years ago.

"Damn it, I'm going to have to change that."

Ava grins.

"I like you the way you are, besides its really Ellie's fault."

Claudia nods, Ellie had made her better. She was more empathetic, more concerned with those around her. Ellie had softened her rough edges and everyone had noticed, especially those who had known her post-miscarriage. Even her ex-stepchildren were surprised. But she was equally surprised when Michael had come around to meet his new sister and he was actually nice to her. Morgan had come too and Ava had been right, he wasn't a little boy anymore. Instead he behaved like a jackass, just like his father.

"I'd want it to be Morgan's."

Ava is shocked by the change of pace of the conversation, but it's no surprise, Claudia often changed the topic of conversation with no warning. Conversations with Claudia always had a specific purpose. She never wanted to talk just to hear her own voice. It was refreshing for Ava.

"Why's that?"

"Sonny will hate you even if you're having his kid. He'll just hate you for the next four months. But Morgan, he has a weakness for you. When he came over the other day, I could see it. He kept glaring at Sonny, which, let's be honest, everyone should glare at Sonny, but when his eyes shifted to you they softened. He still freaking loves you, Ava, so hope it's his baby, because having his baby may save your life."

"You saw all of this while talking to Michael and watching them play with Ellie?"

Claudia grins.

"One of us has to be paying attention."

Claudia grabs a spoon off the countertop and tries to get a scoop of the ice cream. It's 5:45 in the morning and she figures Ava won't fight her on it. But her spoon is hit by Ava's spoon and the metals make a loud clashing noise. Claudia frowns, but then grins when she sees Ava yawning.

"My ice cream, Claudia. You can go to the store and get your own, I can't."

"Sorry, mom."

The mom comment is totally sarcastic. Ava is at most three years older than Claudia, but it's enough of a gap that Claudia makes fun of her for being "old". Ava leans back in the chair and Claudia can see she's getting tired again. Her eyelids are drooping and Claudia knows she'll be out like a light soon.

"Ava."

The pregnant woman jumps a little, but Claudia finds no enjoyment in it. If Ava hadn't already told her how she grew up, she would know that Ava did not grow up a mob princess. No matter what happens, you never jump, you never show weakness, because if you show weakness you're dead.

"Hmm?"

"Come on, I'll help you back upstairs, your appointment is at nine thirty. You can get two more hours of sleep. Sonny will be up soon and we don't want him pissed off that you've been up eating ice cream."

Claudia gets up and helps Ava out of her seat. The older woman has her eyes closed, she trusts Claudia enough to be led by her. Claudia leaves the ice cream for now, she's not going back to bed so she'll put it away when she comes back downstairs.

"Don't care what he thinks."

Claudia grins.

"That's right, you don't care."

She leads Ava through the dim house, the sun is starting to rise, barely, so the house is easier to walk through. The stairs creek under their bare feet, as do the floor boards on the second floor. Ava's room is clean, like she doesn't even live in it, except for the bed. The sheets are scattered and the comforter is bunched in places. Some pillows are on the bed, while others are thrown on the floor. Claudia knows that she has nightmares. Anyone who knows they're going to die in four months is bound to have them.

"Night, night, mom."

Ava doesn't even smile at the sarcasm, she cuddles into some pillows and is asleep in a matter of seconds. Claudia pulls the comforter over her body and straightens it, so that it doesn't look like she's had nightmares before leaving the room. She runs over to her room and gets changed for the day, grabbing her red stilettos but not putting them on. She throws her phone in her red leather clutch and walks down the stairs. Her shoes go on the floor by Sonny's desk and her clutch is laid on his desk. She can see the sun rising so she opens the terrace doors and goes outside. She leans against the thick, cement railing and watches. The world is quiet around her except for the birds chirping in the trees around her.

She looks at the lake where she went on the day of her paternity test. She knew this day would bring up painful memories for her, but she wasn't expecting to have so many issues. Her son's paternity results meant either a marriage with Sonny or a divorce. Any result Ava received meant the same thing: death in four months. She lifts her head as the breeze hits her. She loves the morning hours where there is peace and no Sonny and Ava arguing or Ellie needing her to do five thousand things- there is only her and her thoughts.

She knows he's behind her before he says a word, the way her stomach sinks and her breath intake is shallow. She feels his eyes on her back and she tries to act normal. Their relationship is complex at best. She's not sure if he likes her or loathes her or likes her around or wishes she was gone. She needs him to communicate with her. She sick of his eyes on her back, so she finally speaks.

"Why haven't you killed me yet?"

Her voice is strong and confident. He walks over to her and leans against the railing just as she has been doing. He's silent for a while and a part of her wonders if he's contemplating pushing her over the edge right now, but she doubts it. He's had two weeks, if he wanted to kill her, he would have already.

"Ellie needs you. I knew it from the moment I saw you in the living room. You're the only thing she's known for almost five years, what kind of father would I be if I took you away from her now. Besides, the shooting feels like a lifetime ago. Michael is fine, he was talking to you like it was the most normal thing in the world. You're not that person anymore and neither am I."

She scoffs.

"Yeah that's why you're going to kill Ava in four months."

"She killed Connie in cold blood, Claudia!"

"She was protecting her brother, just like I was! She was protecting Julian and I was protecting John. It's the business, Sonny, blood is what matters here. Make it stop, please, I refuse to raise my daughter where you and Ava yell at one another all the time. It's not good for her and it's not good for Ava and the baby."

"Why'd you even bring her here after…"

"After the way you treated me when I was pregnant with our son? Because as much as you hate me, I knew you'd love her and she deserved to know her father. Anthony tried to kill John when he was eight, he called me a million different horrible things, but I had faith that you would be good to her."

"I don't hate you."

"You sure have a funny way of showing it."

She turns her body away from him, signaling that the conversation is over. He watches as her eyes travel across the back yard. He remembers the day of her paternity test well, it's forever engraved in his brain. That day and her birthday are two days he'll never be able to forget.

"Claudia, about what I said at your birthday party-"

"I don't want to hear it, Sonny."

He lets out a loud sigh. He doesn't blame her for her hostility. It was a wall she had built up around herself to protect herself from him, specifically him. They stand in silence for the longest time or at least it feels like it for Sonny. He'll never get to that point with her where she'll even want him to trust her like she used to.

"Why are you coming today? I mean I know Ava is your friend or whatever."

"I'm not going to break her out of there if that's what you think. I wouldn't leave the country without Ellie even if it meant saving Ava, I couldn't. I'm going so she's not there alone, like I was, waiting for what feels like forever. I'm going so that someone is there to drive her home, so that I know her and that baby are safe."

They both know it's a cheap shot. Her snide comments to him are almost always about their son's death and even though he knows she doesn't blame him for it, the events surrounding the accident were very much his fault. He would be the one that would have to live with that guilt forever.

"Claudia-"

She pushes off the railing and gets in his face, dangerously close to his lips and they both realize it.

"You don't get to apologize to me. I just want someone to be there for Ava, like no one was there for me."

She checks her watch.

"I have to go wake up Ellie and take her to Carly's house so she can play with Joss. Carly said that if they really get along, she can spend the night, which may be good if there is a bunch of crap going down here."

She steps back, the temptation is gone and they revert back to who they are now. Angry and unforgiving, but wanting forgiveness.

"Tell her to have fun and that I love her."

"I will, I'll be back to pick up Ava."

He doesn't argue, instead he just watches as she walks away.

Claudia and Ava drive in silence to the hospital. The top is down on the car and the wind is blowing their hair everywhere, but they don't give a damn. Sonny and Morgan are waiting at the hospital, Ava refused to leave with either one of them and instead insisted on waiting for Claudia to come get her. Neither of the men felt the need to push her, Claudia truly wouldn't leave without Ellie, they knew that much.

When they get to the hospital, the entrances are guarded by Sonny's men. Claudia smiles as them and greets many of them by name, they're all of the old Zacchara guards. She puts this information in the back of her mind for later, maybe it could work for her advantage after Ava has the baby. They take the elevator up to the OBGYN floor and are greeted immediately by Sonny and Morgan. Claudia grabs Ava's wrist to direct her straight to the nurses' station to check in, they take her to a room and tell her the doctor will be there soon. She makes eye contact with both men and steadies herself.

"Both of you, out."

They look surprised but Claudia is pleased.

"What?"

"She said leave. First the doctor is going to do an ultrasound and maybe Ava doesn't want either of you in here for that."

Sonny looks pointedly at Claudia.

"What's the angle here, Claudia?"

"No angle, Sonny. Just a mother who wants her privacy and a friend who understands the need. Look you can come back when they run the test, I'll personally call you in, but for now just go."

Sonny grabs Morgan's arm and pulls him out of the room. The door slams shut behind them. Claudia's eyes shift over to Ava when she hears her laughter. She shouldn't be surprised anymore, because Ava is always laughing when it is least appropriate.

"Will you and Sonny please just have sex already?"

"What?"

"Oh come on, the sexual tension between the two of you is outrageous. I mean he hasn't had sex in five or so months, he has to be horny as hell by now. Maybe that will improve his mood and he won't wanna kill me after he gets laid."

Claudia rolls her chair over to where Ava is reclining and covers her eyes with her hands.

"Seriously, Ava? You have to be kidding me right-"

Claudia is cut off by the opening of the door. She watches as the woman that was with Nikolas at the airport walk in to the room. She's all smiles as she looks down at Ava's chart.

"Alright, Ms. Jerome, how are we feeling today?"

"Feeling pretty good, Dr. Westbourne."

Westbourne. Claudia puts that in the back of her brain too. Nikolas' new fiancé or wife with the last name Westbourne. Once Dr. Westbourne looks up from the chart, she makes eye contact with Claudia and recognition is shown in her eyes.

"You're the woman from the airport, with the adorable little girl."

Claudia smiles at her.

"And the humongous suitcase. You were with Spencer and Batman, I mean Nikolas."

"Wait, you call him Batman too? The first time I walked into his house, I called him that and he immediately responds that he has a butler named Alfred. Thanks for getting him used to the name so he took it better. I'm Britt Westbourne by the way."

Her hand shoots out and Claudia shakes it.

"It's really nice to meet you, I'm Claudia Zacchara. I must say, your and Nikolas' little son is precious."

"Oh, Ben, no, he's just mine. His father is Patrick Drake, he's a doctor here at the hospital."

Claudia nods.

"Yeah, I know Patrick, he's a good guy too. Well Ben is precious."

Britt smiles shyly.

"Thank you, he's my whole world. We should try to get Spencer and your little girl together for a play date or something. I'm sure she's much younger than him, but he hasn't been getting along well with boys his own age."

"I'm sure the little prince and Ellie would get along great. I'll steal one of your cards on the way out."

Ava clears her throat reminding the two that she is, in fact, still in the room and both women laugh.

"Sorry, Ava."

Claudia mumbles.

"Yes, I'm sorry, Ms. Jerome, that was unprofessional of me."

"It's quite alright and please call me Ava."

"Okay, well, you're here for an amniocentesis, so first we'll do a 3-D ultrasound, locate the baby's position and then preform the test. I know the main reason for the test is because you don't know the father, but this test is also good for other things considering your age."

Ava nods, her pregnancy is considered high risk and she understands that her baby could be born deformed, but she doesn't care. If she gets to live, she'll love her baby no matter what.

"Um, Britt, before the test we have to call the fathers in, but Ava just wanted to see the baby first."

"Okay, well let's see this baby then."

The ultrasound screen comes to life as a racing heartbeat floods the room. All three women's eyes are transfixed on the screen, on the little life growing inside of Ava. Tears spring forward before Ava knows what hit her, but she quickly wipes them away. Claudia smiles up at her and grabs her hand for support. A memory floods back of Sonny grabbing her hand when they saw their baby boy for the first time. It hits her all at once. She realizes that without the miscarriage she wouldn't have Ellie, but the lost still stings. She holds back her tears, though, she's going to protect Ava and this baby.

"Do you want to know the sex?"

Two weeks ago, Ava would have looked around the room to see what Sonny wanted, but now she is confident. She can make decisions all by herself.

"Yes."

Britt grins and looks at the ultrasound one last time to be sure.

"Looks like we have a little girl in there."

The doctor and the mob princess watch as the expectant mother wipes fresh tears from her eyes. Seeing the baby in 3-D made it more real. It makes her realize that she has to live so that she can raise this little girl, her second chance to be a better mother.

"She's healthy?"

"Well we won't know for sure until the test results come in, but right now she looks perfect. Claudia, if you want to go get the prospective fathers, the baby is in perfect position for the test."

Claudia nods, jumps up from her seat, and opens the door. She rounds the corner of the hallway and finds the two Corinthos men sitting at opposite ends of a very large couch. General Hospital has definitely redecorated since she's been here last. Morgan sees her first and gets up with Sonny following behind him. Claudia enters the room with the two men close by and sits back in the chair. She makes eye contact with Sonny and then Morgan. Sonny had glanced at the screen, but Morgan is transfixed by the baby.

"Is that the baby?"

He knows it's a dumb question before he even asks, but he doesn't know what else to say. Ava is truly growing a tiny human and he is amazed. To everyone's surprise, Ava is the one to answer him.

"That's my little girl."

Claudia watches as Morgan mouths the word "girl" like his whole world is falling into place. He still loves Ava, she knows it. They all watch as Britt retrieves enough amniotic fluid to run the correct number of tests and just like that the appointment is over.

"The test should be done in maybe an hour and a half. I'm assuming you all will be in the waiting area so I'll come find you."

Claudia smiles at the woman before looking back at Ava.

"My results took all freaking day, you're getting off easy."

Ava and Britt both laugh at her.

"I may have a little bit of a pull with the lab tech, may not be in the coffee importing business, but I know how to use my connections. Oh and Claudia, it was really nice to meet you, I'm sure Nikolas would be happy to see you again."

"Yes, I'll have to bring Ellie over to the island sometime."

With that the good doctor is gone. Claudia hands Ava a rag and she cleans off the gel from her abdomen. Sonny is at the door and Claudia walks toward him, but turns around to see Morgan grabbing Ava's hand to help her off the table. She makes eye contact with Ava and they share a slight grin when he doesn't immediately release her hand. The group moves to the area where Morgan and Sonny were sitting earlier and then the true waiting begins.

An hour and a half later, Britt returns with a sealed envelope in her hands. Claudia and Ava look at one another, not sure if they've been anxiously anticipating or dreading this moment. They allow Britt to lead them to a family room where they will told the news that will shape Ava's daughter's life forever. Morgan and Sonny automatically separate from one another, standing on either side of a coffee table, but Claudia and Ava stand together as Britt opens the envelope. They watch closely as her eyes scan all the information on the piece of paper.

"Well the good news, Ava, is that your daughter is completely healthy."

She breathes deeply, letting out air that she didn't realize was trapped inside her lungs. Her daughter is healthy and wasn't that really all that mattered? She could fight or deal with whoever the father was as long as her little girl was healthy. But she knows the two men in the room want other answers and she expects to hear Sonny's loud voice echo throughout the room, but instead Morgan's voice is heard.

"Whose the baby's father?"

Britt looks up from the test results and smiles.

"Well according to our lab, you are, Morgan."