She came to Port Charles anyway. Leaving something as important as her son's legacy to someone as deranged as Jillian Trainor could be a costly mistake if the rumors she'd heard about her history were true. A trail of obsessive relationships, she should have done more homework and not relied simply on what she knew about her past history with her son.. Their last conversation led her to conclude that for Jillian this was about more than the objective Tracy had in mind. Jillian would need to be handled to protect her son and to protect herself. She thought maybe she'd been gone long enough that she'd be able to rebuild some bridges. She took a sip of her drink as she sat at the bar of the Cosmopolitan hotel, when she was approached abruptly by Jillian.

"Tell me why I'm here." She spat as she threw her black studded clutch down on the bar and Tracy turned to her.

"Gee, nice to see you, too."

"I've got this handled. You're not needed here."

"You see, I think I am and I have it on good authority that my son is about to accept a contract to become the next CEO, it seems like you're the one not needed here. So tell me, what are you still doing in Port Charles? "

"Did you or did you not ask me to get him back to ELQ permanently?"

"Which has been achieved. It's time for you to crawl back into the hole you came out of."

"I think you're forgetting how I achieved that goal. The information you provided was useful and all it will take is one phone call to the SEC to blow your whole scheme sky high. Deliberately sabotaging your own son's deal…I doubt your family would ever want to see you again."

Tracy laughed as if that was leverage. She'd been banished before, she knew her way around that specific family dynamic. "Little girl, I think you're forgetting the bigger picture here. ELQ's success is Trainor Industries and the evidence I have on you now about insider trading could be a deadly blow to your career and your company. If I go down, you're going down with me." Jillian was at a loss for words. "Happy 4th of July." Tracy said as she got up and left Jillian at the bar. "I have a picnic to get to."

At the park the table was set in red, white, and blue decorations for the annual Quartermaine picnic and everyone was in attendance. It was the place to be for the holiday. For Ned and Alexis it was a welcomed reprieve from all that moving brings with it. Days of endless packing and now endless unpacking were taking their toll.

"Well look who it is, the man who stole my job from under me." An already drunken AJ proclaimed as Ned, Alexis, and Kristen arrived.

"Mommy, can I go play on the swings?" Kristen asked before anyone could say anything heinous.

"You can, but stay where we can see you." She said watching her daughter run off and play before turning back to AJ. "I think you did that to yourself. You've been in a downward spiral for months."

"Watch it, that's my son you're talking to." Monica chimed in.

"Alexis is right." Edward added, "You were running this company into the ground and Ned proved himself more capable." He reached for the bottle of champagne on the table and started pouring glasses, "This is to Ned. I knew you wouldn't desert us when the chips were down." He started to pass out glasses and continued.

Chloe passed one to Ned and then Alexis, who quietly shook her head no as Ned put her arm around her. Chloe smiled at her and mouthed Are you…? Knowing her friend had been disappointed by earlier test results and then had finally gone to GH, but she hadn't heard anything.

"I see no reason why we shouldn't vote and make it official now. All pertinent board members are in attendance."

"Father really, this isn't the time or the place. There's no need to rub AJ's nose in his mistakes." Alan added, as Alexis and Chloe continued their exchange.

Alexis nodded and Chloe mouthed so happy for you just as Edward turned toward them. "What are you two muttering about over there? Here Alexis, you need a glass." He said as she turned apprehensively to Ned.

"Up to you." He said and she gave him a look that said gee thanks.

"Actually Edward, I'm not drinking, but thank you."

"Oh, my dears…" Lila said as her face lit up.

Alexis smiled warmly at Lila, "Yes, Lila, I'm pregnant. Ned and I are having another baby."

"Congratulations, you two." Monica added as everyone else agreed and congratulated them, except for AJ whose audible groan and disgruntled muttering garnered a disapproving comment from Lila as he chugged down another glass of champagne.

"Well we certainly do have a lot to celebrate today. Another Quartermaine heir, Ned my dear boy, we'll have to start planning for this little one's future."

"Let's just cross one bridge at a time."

"Which brings us back to the vote. Now I'll call the roll." As he listed family members, everyone, but AJ, voted yes. Even Alan, who usually defended his son, had to agree that ELQ needed a steady hand and AJ wasn't up to the task at the moment. "Now, finally Edward, Lila and Tracy vote–"

"Actually I'll vote for myself daddy, thank you very much." Tracy said as she waltzed into the family gathering, picked up a glass of champagne, took a sip and continued as everyone stood there stunned. "Isn't someone going to welcome me home?"

"I thought I told you never to darken our door again. What are you doing here Tracy?"

"Good thing I didn't walk through the door. It's been so long and I thought what better time to visit my beloved family than to be there to see my son ushered back in as CEO."

"And yet, it seems only like yesterday." Alan quipped.

"I missed you, too, brother. Now daddy, aren't you going to continue?"

"Edward and Lila, vote yay. Tracy Quartermaine?"

"Also, yay."

"The ayes have it. Welcome back to ELQ, Ned. The company is lucky to have you back." He lifted his glass and took a sip.

Tracy looked around at her family, taking stock at who was in attendance. "Mother." She bent down and kissed her hello and then made the rounds with the rest of the family. "AJ, good to see you're living up to your reputation as the black sheep of the family. Here have another glass," she said as she handed him another flute of champagne.

"Monica, good to see you, but maybe consider some collagen supplements, age is not being kind to you." Monica tried to go after her, but Alan grabbed her arm as Tracy continued, moving to members of the family she didn't recognize. "Jax, good to see you again, I'm sure my son will make your life difficult moving forward. now that he's running the show."

"Tracy. " He nodded to her. And she approached Chloe who looked horrified. "Let me introduce my fiance, Chloe–"

"Morgan. Mother's third cousin was it? Yes, I know all of my son's ex-wives. Leave it to Ned to marry his cousin in some twisted scheme to better his company. I guess it's hard to find a way to top bigamy though, isn't it darling?" She said turning to Ned as he pulled Alexis closer.

"Mother, you say the kindest things." He replied sarcastically and she turned to Alexis.

"You must be Ned's wife number…" She started to count on her hand. "6?" She said quizzically.

"My name's Alexis and I have to say, this was quite the way to make an entrance with a family.. who if memory serves…the last time you attempted contact, you tried to rob on Thanksgiving."

Alan smirked as Tracy looked her up and down, Alexis was certainly not what she expected. "How would you know?"

"I was there." She knew the only way to manage Tracy was to be just as bold and play the game of verbal dodgeball that was started. Tracy looked at Ned and he nodded, impressed with his wife as Kristen came running up to her parents.

"Who are you?" Kristen boldly asked the sudden stranger in attendance at the picnic.

"Krissy, this is daddy's mother, she's your grandmother." Alexis responded, knowing referring to her as a grandmother might be triggering.

"Tracy. You can call me Tracy." Her discomfort at being referred to as a grandmother was visible on her face.

"And you missed the big news Auntie Tracy, you're about to be a grandmother again." AJ added fuel to the fire and then smirked at Ned who glared at him.

"You're pregnant?" Tracy asked, aghast.

"What does that mean, mommy?" Kristen enquired innocently.

"Thanks for that Junior. Krissy, let's go for a walk. Mommy and I have something we need to tell you." AJ stepped out of the way and Ned looked at his mother, "I'll deal with you later." The last time his mother was in town she was responsible for ruining his marriage to Lois and he was not going to let that happen again. Deep down he knew that Alexis wasn't Lois and that she was capable of handling the dynamics of his family, but he doubted he would ever be able to get over the sliver of doubt that losing Lois had been planted and taken root in his psyche.

They walked with their little girl away from the Quartermaine dysfunction down the short gravel path towards a bench set away from the rest of the activity at the picnic. Ned pulled Kristen onto his lap as they sat on the wooden bench, and Alexis positioned herself so she was facing them both. Neither of them had planned on telling his family or their daughter about the pregnancy that day but life happened and here they were.

"So like, daddy said we have some important news that we need to tell you."

"Some happy news." He added as he draped one arm along the back of the bench and she reached for his hand and smiled at him.

"Yes, some happy news. So you know that daddy and mommy love each other very much, right?" She nodded. "And when two people love each other as much as daddy and I, sometimes their love can create a baby, like when our love created you. And daddy and I love you so much that we decided that we wanted another baby, so there is a baby growing in mommy's tummy right now. You are going to be a big sister."

"Like Brook is my big sister?"

"Just like Brook." Ned added.

"When mommy?"

"Sometime after Christmas, sweetheart."

"That's a long time away. Why can't we meet the baby now?"

"Well babies have to grow big and strong in their mommy's tummy before we can meet them." Ned added. "So, how do you feel about this?"

"I don't know, daddy. I've never been a big sister. What if I'm not good at it?"

"Oh, we know you are going to be such a good big sister, showing your little brother or sister how to play soccer, and take turns, make friends…"

"Daddy is right. You are our smart, sweet, funny, and kind little girl and your little brother or sister is going to be so lucky to have you as their big sister."

"So, what do you say? Do you think you can do that?"

"I suppose."

"You suppose? He said having no idea where she learned that and started to tickle her. "Does that mean you can be happy about having a little brother or sister?" He asked as she started to giggle.

"Yes! I'm going to be a big sister!" She exclaimed as she hopped off of Ned's lap. "Can I go tell my friends from camp? They were on the swings."

"Yes, go and play." Alexis replied, finding joy in her daughter's excitement.

"Yay!" Kristen started to run towards the playground.

"Stay where we can see you!" Alexis reminded as she turned towards Ned and smiled. "She took that well. Don't you think?"

"She did." He took her hand. "You ok? I know we didn't exactly plan to tell my family today."

"I'm fine. Your family doesn't scare me, you know that. Are you sure your not asking because-"

"of my mother?" He finished her thought. "Who you handled like a master. I might add."

"Yes. How are you? Really." She brought her palm to his cheek.

"Honestly? It's kind of thrown me a bit off balance, but I have you and that's all I need."

"I love you." She reassured him knowing his own family issues were starting to bubble up to the surface. She knew the history and knew his relationship with his mother was tenuous at best. He nodded and she moved closer to him, kissing him gently.

As the day progressed Alexis ran into Nikolas when he came over to see Emily. She decided to pull him aside and take the opportunity to check-in with him about the news Stefan had shared. She checked in with him and she shared her news with him. He was thrilled about having another cousin and was happy for her and Ned. Then, finally she bit the bullet and brought up Stefan. A subject she knew would be touchy. "So, I saw Stefan and –"

She barely was able to formulate a thought before he interrupted "If this is about the Cassadine legacy then you can save it."

"Nikolas, I know how you feel and I know that you're making a life for yourself outside of this family. I'm not going to pressure you one way or another. Just hear me out."

"I thought you were the one person who was on my side in all of this."

"I am on your side. And if anyone understands what you're trying to do it's me. You still have a few months before you turn 25, but can't you do both? Can't you be the Prince and do what you love? Just think about it. Once you were determined to make sure the Cassadine fortune did some good in the world. The only way to make that happen is to step into the role you were born into."

"That's true and I will think about it. But, my uncle, he needs to stop interfering in my decisions."

"I'll talk to him. He told you Helena escaped, right? She's going to do whatever she has to keep the line of succession intact. She's obsessed. Be safe, Nikolas."

"He did and I will be, my grandmother won't hurt me. But you stay safe as well. When she finds out you've been helping me start a new life, she'll target you."

"I can handle Helena. I've been doing it my whole life."

"But you shouldn't have to. So if there is anything I can do, please let me know."

"I will. Hopefully it won't come to that."

Meanwhile, Ned was talking with Jax and Chloe on the other side of the park. Jax and Chloe were filling him in on the wedding plans as Ned watched Kristen on the playground from a distance. He must have missed her approach as they were talking because suddenly Jillian was there pushing his daughter on the swing, engaged in full on conversation.

"Isn't that Jillian Trainor? What's she doing in Port Charles?" Jax asked, nodding his head towards the playground.

"Yes. yes it is." he said annoyed. "Excuse me."

Jax and Chloe looked at each other perplexed as he got up and went over towards Jillian who was getting a little too friendly with his daughter, who was on the swings. "What was that about?" Chloe asked.

"I don't know, but it can't be good." Jax replied.

Ned approached them. "Hi, daddy!"

"Hi princess, why don't you go sit with Uncle Jax and Auntie Chloe. It's almost time to eat."

"Are you coming, too?" She said as she started to run over, but stopped when he didn't follow.

"I'll be there in a minute." He said and she seemed to accept that and continued on her way back over to the Quartermaines. "Stay away from my daughter."

"Easy, Ned. I had no idea your family would even be here. I was taking a walk, enjoying seeing how American this whole weekend is, when I noticed your family was here. I was simply saying hello to your charming little girl. Nothing to get upset over."

"I don't know what you think you're doing, but you need to go. Preferably to board a flight back to London." He replied not buying what she was saying for a moment. She followed him to Port Charles, she absolutely knew he'd be at the park today.

"Come on Ned, I know our time together in London wasn't planned, but I know you enjoyed yourself."

"What happened in London is never happening quite frankly I'm not even convinced it did."

"Oh it did. Now I told you I wouldn't spoil our little secret. And I don't intend to, as long as you continue to hold up your end of the agreement."

"We don't have an agreement."

"I beg to differ. Now that you're CEO we're going to have to learn how to work together. Now I know you may feel guilty about what happened, but this confrontational attitude is going to need to stop if we're to continue this relationship."

"We don't have a relationship."

"So you don't want to be reminded of what amazing sex we had? Because that night you said otherwise and just because you are home with your wife doesn't mean it can't happen again." She tried to get closer to him and reached to touch his arm.

"Will you please, stop. We're not talking about this. It's done. I love my wife and this, whatever you think this is, is never happening again."

"I think the truth is you're just frustrated because you know how good it was and you want more. Just like I do."

"I don't know what you think is going to happen, but that night was a mistake. One I'm certain you manipulated somehow. Now stay away from my family or you won't like what comes next."

"Oh, making threats now? Please. We were celebrating, whatever you do or don't remember. That's on you. And what power do you think you have? Because I can go tell the little wifey right now and it seems like you'd have quite the big mess to clean up."

She was right and it made him even more agitated and uncomfortable. Keeping this secret, was going to hurt Alexis, but he felt he had no choice. He wanted to protect her. "I am not doing this right now." He was exasperated and started to walk away.

"Don't walk away from me." She yelled, frustrated he wasn't willing to give her the attention she craved.

"This conversation is over, Jillian. If you were smart you'd drop this scheme."

He walked back over to his family, and Jillian stood there and watched from a distance as he lightly kissed Alexis. She made eye contact with Tracy, who gave her a disapproving look, before she ultimately walked away. It was becoming increasingly clear that it was not going to be as easy as she thought to get him to leave his wife and realize he should have been with her all along.