At a table surrounded by the entire Barrington Family, Port Charles General Hospital Co-Counsel, Alexis Davis, tried to figure out exactly how she had offended Lila Quartermaine sufficiently to warrant such treatment. Perhaps Lila Quartermaine didn't realize that the Barringtons weren't much more functional as a family than the Cassadines and that was truly saying something. She probably didn't. After all, Amanda Barrington's younger daughter in law, Lorena, was a close friend of Lila's daughter in law, Dr. Monica Quartermaine.

According to Amanda, the two women had met at some Quartermaine Tea that Lila hosted in Autumn 1978 when Lorena, the first Markham Barrington Memorial Fellow had just started her social work program. Not quite two years later Monica was the matron of honor when Lorena married Derek Barrington, Amanda's younger son. Alexis suspected that their friendship had flourished as they commiserated on their experiences in the first families of Port Charles. They were both just too kind to explain that to the family matriarchs.

Alexis wasn't so kind, but she was smart. She realized that offending the President of the Hospital Auxillary or the mother of the Chief of Staff would hardly further her tenure at the hospital. For the moment, and for reasons she didn't quite understand, her tenure at the hospital was important to her cousin Stefan. So, for that reason, furthering it was important to her.

XXXXXXXX

So, this is what it is like to be trapped in society page nightmare, Liz Webber decided as she tuned out Myrna Crane's lamentations and silently buttered her roll. She and her grandmother were seated at a table with the Commissioner of Social Services, the current Mayor of Port Charles, and the owner of the only respectable funeral home in town, along with all their respective wives. The conversation had swirled from property values, to winter fashions, and the general decline of American Youth. It had been more than enough to make Liz wish she was somewhere else, anywhere else, even at the party Sarah had certainly snuck off to.

XXXXXXXX

Seated in between his ex-girlfriend, Brenda Barrett, and his current girlfriend, Keesha Ward, AJ Quartermaine chuckled a little at the irony. The seating arrangement would have been awkward for most, but he and Brenda had parted amicably and remained close friends. Brenda and Keesha were just even closer friends so his position was a bit of physical barrier to their conversation. He supposed they had tried to be kind by including him rather than talking around him. Unfortunately, they hadn't been quite kind enough to pick a topic other than shoes. Shoes!?

After a few moments of listening to Brenda and Keesha debate trendy, practical, and so 1995, AJ lost his countenance.

Brenda leaned into him and poked him. "You laugh! You should listen to us we're providing useful information here, Mr. three pairs of shoes is all a guy needs!" she said.

"I have more than three pairs of shoes," AJ protested! He did! He had at least five, maybe he even had six. It wasn't like he spent every morning counting them.

Brenda raised an eyebrow. "Really?" she asked.

Keesha merely smiled and silently shook her head.

"Of course, every guy needs at least four pair. Black, brown, running, and tennis. Cross trainers aren't really for people who are serious about actually training," AJ said.

Brenda just rolled her eyes again and passed Keesha a knowing look.

"I appreciate the effort to include me in the conversation but perhaps a real gentleman would just trade seats and allow the two of you to carry on. I'm sure Wyndham's has some major Columbus Day Sale coming up or something right?" AJ asked.

Brenda smiled again. "Well, now that you mention it…"

XXXXXXXX

On the other side of the Versailles Room, Chapparal County Assistant District Attorney, Dara Jensen, could feel the tension between her fellow prosecutor and her date. Apparently, in the Spring of 1985, Justus Ward and Chase Murdoch had been on the same undefeated Port Charles High Debate team. Their debate backgrounds had helped mold them into brilliant litigators, so, twelve years later they were opposing counsel. As if that wasn't bad enough they were opposing counsel on the Kaylee Reynolds trial.

Of course, for Dara at least, there was an upside. DA Abby Mitchell had given the Kaylee Reynolds case to Chase rather than her. It was one thing to face off against an old friend. It was another to face off against a current lover. The latter could lead to ethics committees license sanctions for both parties and Dara had no interest in going there. Contrary to the PCPD rumor mill, she would throw away a relationship before she threw a case. Laura Spencer's acquittal for Damian Smith's murder had been the result of lack of evidence and a shrewd defense attorney nothing more, nothing less. Kaylee Reynold's acquittal would likely happen for the same reasons and Dara was glad she didn't have to try to make that case.

Dara could see a lot of similarities between the two cases. The victims were guilty of their own crimes. Damian Smith had murdered US Attorney, Bradley Ward, and had been running several insurance scams using arson. Dr. Pierce Dorman was a cardiologist who dealt drugs to finance his own cocaine habit. He had been implicated in the death of Marilyn Cooper and had abducted and tried to rape one of his female colleagues, Dr. Monica Quartermaine. When he had defended Laura Spencer for Damian Smith's murder Justus had spent an equal amount of time attempting to try her alleged victim. Dara doubted he would use a different tactic while representing Kaylee Reynolds. Her objections that the victim was not on trial had mostly fallen on death ears with the judge because Laura Spencer was a woman, a mother of two, and a volunteer at the Bradley Ward House. Dara suspected that Chase's objections might be summarily overruled as Kaylee Reynolds was a nineteen-year-old college student, who made the Dean's list at PCU, and spent her spare time volunteering at Ward House. Her baby brother had died a few months before Pierce Dorman's death when he overdosed on drugs given to him by Dr. Dorman. That had been her motivation for the murder. Or at least that was the theory that their office was running with.

Theories were fine when they led to the discovery of evidence that extinguished reasonable doubt. When theories were the only thread tying a few shreds of, circumstantial at best, evidence together they were often best not mentioned. That was the case Dara's colleague was in. To make matters worse mentioning the theories merely set up a perfect opportunity for the defense to place the victim on trial. Chase couldn't introduce motive without revealing that Dr. Dorman was a drug dealer, a drug dealer who was responsible for the death of children, like Kaylee's brother who had died only three days after his fifteenth birthday.

XXXXXXXX

From his new position at the table AJ had an excellent view of the head table where his cousin sat with his newest bride and their grandparents. It hadn't been quite a week since he had stood up as Ned's best man when he entered into his third marriage in only four years. When Ned had called and asked him to fly to Florida AJ had wanted to believe he was asking because they were family and when the chips were down they would always have each other. Ned had actually affirmed that moments before the ceremony.

September 27, 1997

As he stood in the front vestibule outside the Chapel, moments before his cousin was about to embark on his third wedding in only four years, AJ Quartermaine had to wonder if there was any truth to the adage that the third time was the charm. For Ned and Carly's sakes he truly hoped that there might be.

Ned made a final adjustment to his bow tie and then turned to fully face him. "Are you ready?" he asked.

"I'm a Quartermaine, I was born ready!" AJ said.

Ned raised both eyebrows and shook his head but then his countenance broke and he smiled. He clapped a hand on AJ's shoulder. "I'm glad you're here. Standing up for us, I mean. I know this probably doesn't make a lot of sense, but this isn't a decision I've made lightly, and I believe that Carly and I are doing what is best for everyone," he said.

"As long as you and Carly are included in the everyone denominator then I think that's great. I don't know Carly well but we're family, Ned, and I know if I needed something you would have my back, so I have yours and I always will."

"I'm sorry if I was so harsh on you this summer. I suppose I internalized, and externalized, a bit too much of grandfather's excellence is standard mantra."

"You're harder on yourself than you've ever been on me I'm sure. I didn't see it for years, but I think that is Grandfather's deal too. It must be a pretty hard road, I don't think he would have made it without grandmother, so I hope Carly can be in your corner the same way," AJ offered. He supposed that was the diplomatic way to say he hoped that his cousin was finally marrying a woman who would love him flaws, family, and all.

AJ had been almost sixteen when Ned married Jennifer Eckert. The events which followed, and preceded, their May Day Wedding had certainly called into question whether Jenny had ever loved his cousin. In contrast, there was no doubt in AJ's mind that Lois had loved his cousin. Perhaps that lent support to the adage that sometimes love wasn't enough. His own father would agree with that, because he and his wife of almost twenty-two years had labored, compromised, and fought to honor the love they shared.

"You know, the door hasn't closed for you at ELQ," Ned said.

AJ appreciated the sentiment but also noted his cousin's avoidance and diversion tactic. "I think it has and I'm ok with that. I was pursuing a career in business for the wrong reasons and I needed to acknowledge that. This summer, and Keesha's support, gave me the opportunity to do that."

"You and Keesha have gotten pretty serious?" Ned asked.

The question caught AJ by surprise. He wasn't sure that he and Ned had discussed his love life since the summer after seventh grade when, Ned had been embarking on his own ELQ summer internship, he had been crushing on Melissa McKee, and, because irony was rich and real, Melissa had been dreaming of a summer fling with Ned. "Keesha and I have been friends since she came to live with her grandmother after her mother died. We both loved Jason and he can't remember that love. It's hard to explain, he's made it so clear he wants nothing to do with either of us but sometimes I still feel like I'm stealing my cousin's fiancée."

Ned winced. "I was out of line there. I guess I just wanted to believe if we all just gave Jason a little space everything would be ok. That was naïveté on my part. You don't know how many times I've replayed that moment at Luke's. How many times I wish I had gone after him when he kicked over that table. I hesitated, I gave him some space and Sonny Corinthos went outside instead. I wish I had those thirty seconds back because if I had them Jason wouldn't be a criminal. He would probably be working at ELQ or doing something else, but he wouldn't be getting shot in his girlfriend's living room and he wouldn't be walking away from someone he loves because he believes it is the only way to keep them safe."

It was hard for AJ to argue with Ned's lamentations. Two years earlier their grandfather had been convinced that Jason was just doing his civic duty as a Police Detective before he came home to run ELQ. Then the accident had happened. Jason's parents had died in the crash and AJ was starting to believe that in many ways Jason's soul had died as well. Then he had been reborn, become Sonny Corinthos's errand boy, and ascended to head the Corinthos Crime Family before his twenty fifth birthday.

"I guess we never know how things will turn out. Maybe if you had gone after Jason he just would have pushed you away. Maybe he still does have a relationship with you because you take him on his own terms. I've struggled with that I admit. It just feels so wrong. He isn't Jason and I suppose I need to just accept that."

Ned seemed to really contemplate his words. "Do you accept it now?" he asked.

AJ shrugged his shoulders. "Maybe intellectually. Emotionally it is quite a bit harder. I'm probably not really there."

"I'm not either, I just fake it well," Ned said.

When AJ reflected back on their conversation in the vestibule it was Ned's last few words that stuck with him. His elder cousin was certainly never one to wear his emotions on his sleeve, and rarely one to even wear them on his face. When his daughter had died and his marriage to Lois had dissolved he had suffered in stoic silence for months. AJ had wanted to reach out to him, but he hadn't known what to say. All the words that had tumbled around in his head had seemed superficial, or forced, or even just naïve. So, he had kept his own silence. He wanted to believe that Ned understood that. He needed to believe that their conversation in the vestibule confirmed exactly that.

XXXXXXXX

Carly Ashton began to wonder if perhaps the spotlight could be overrated. It was one thing to watch Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous and day dream. It was something else entirely to marry into a family Robin Leach had longed to feature but courted unsuccessfully most of his show's run. Aware of the lurking photographers, Carly laid a hand over her husband's and reflected on the second thoughts she had struggled with moments before the ceremony that had made her the newest Mrs. Ned Ashton.

September 27, 1997

In the bride room at St. Dominion's Cathedral, Caroline Leigh Benson brushed out her honey colored curls and prepared to become Mrs. Carly Ashton. Her almost husband had informed her that it would be a bad idea for them to marry under anything but her legal name. He had also had his US Attorney Aunt, Abigail Donely Quartermaine, clean up any potential messes from the use of her latest alias. From Ned's standpoint that left them ready to marry for the sake of their child. Unfortunately, Carly felt anything but ready. That struck her as more than a little ironic since the wedding had been her idea all along.

"Don't pout, you'll mess up your make up! You will have foundation lines!" her maid of honor chided.

Carly turned away from the mirror and stuck her tongue out at Simone.

Simone Torres shook her head. "Your mother was right, you are incorrigible!"

The words stung but Carly hid her reaction. She wasn't about to explain to Simone that she had finally found her birth mother, or that she had seduced her husband. Even Simone wouldn't have understood that. Sure, Simone had blackmailed Dr. Ezekial MacMillan to fund her college or face his wife learning the truth about what, and exactly whom, he had been doing almost nineteen years earlier. But, once her tuition had been paid, Simone had left the MacMillans in peace.

Simone dropped down onto the vanity bench beside her. "Anyway, what do you have to pout about? Ned is smart, rich, gorgeous, and he seems like decent guy. That sounds like the total package to me! Does he have any brothers?" she asked.

"Yeah, but he's ten or eleven. Even in Florida, there are laws against that!"

Simone laughed. "Cousins?" she asked hopefully.

Carly struggled to push thoughts of Jason away. She didn't really succeed. "AJ, his best man, is twenty."

"He seemed kind of cute, but he's only twenty? Why couldn't he have been born five years sooner?"

"Because the Doctors Quartermaine would never conceive a child out of wedlock and they never married until December 1975," Carly said. It was the truth she supposed but somehow the thought gave her another moment of pause about the whole plan to marry Ned.

Simone reached out and took the brush away from Carly. "Is that why you're all sad? Are the Ashtons giving you a hard time about the baby?"

"Ned's mother is the Honorable Tracy Quartermaine-Grabler. She's a family court judge!"

"Which doesn't give her the right to judge you! Anyway, it isn't like Ned is marrying you just because you are pregnant with his child. I saw the way he was looking at you during the rehearsal last night."

Carly cringed. She had forgotten how much of a hopeless romantic her friend Simone was. Ironically Simone was correct, Ned wasn't marrying her because she was pregnant with his child. He was marrying her because she was pregnant with his cousin's child. She was setting him up to atone with his family for a one night stand he had never had, all because she needed him to cover for his cousin who could never be just a one-night stand for her.

"We've been friends since we were little girls. I understand your trust issues. I totally get your daddy never loved me hang ups. I have the same ones! You're looking at the girl who bribed her own father to pay for college or explain to his wife how she came to exist. I'm debt free with a journalism degree from Chapel Hill but what do I really have? I'm a dirty little secret and that shame messes up every relationship. I get you, Carly, I really do. But I've never seen you so at peace with everything, so I just hope you can trust this. Trust Ned's love! Don't doubt it just because a little pre-marital conception is getting his family's panties in a twist."

Carly couldn't bring herself to admit that what her best friend was viewing as peace was really just resignation. She would marry Ned and that would allow her to keep Jason's child. She was doing what she had to do. No more, no less.

She had pushed those second thoughts, and the third and fourth which followed, aside and joined Ned at the front of St. Dominion's Cathedral because it was what she had needed to do. It still was. No more, no less.