Nelle scowled as she knocked on the door of the Quartermaine mansion to see her son.

Though she still intended on gaining full custody of Aaron as part of her plan to get Michael back and create her perfect family, they'd seen a judge shortly after the charges against her in court were dismissed and he ruled that until they could go more in depth with a true custody case to determine who was truly fit to raise Aaron, it would be wise for their child to remain in Michael's care while Nelle was granted visitation.

It didn't make her happy to have her son still be forced to stay in the Quartermaines' clutches while she remained childless, but until she regained control of the situation, visitation was as good as she was going to get.

Nelle put on a fake smile as the door opened but inside she was screaming from rage when Sasha stood on the other side.

"Hello, Nelle," Sasha said, her voice neutral as she stared at Aaron's mother.

"Sasha," Nelle replied. She was not pleased to see the tramp.

"Come in. Michael's in the foyer with Aaron."

Nelle's smile dropped as soon as Sasha turned her back on her and the only thing she wanted to do was drag the little bitch by her hair and throw her out of the house, but she knew she had to be careful now. Any negative action she takes would severely impact her chances of getting her son back.

When Nelle walked into the foyer, a more genuine smile stretched her lips when she saw Michael sitting on the floor, playing with their son. Aaron was handing his father several colored blocks and Michael thanked him while stacking them.

"Good job, buddy!" Michael praised after Aaron finished with a block house.

"Michael," Sasha called out, her voice much warmer towards her boyfriend than it was with the town psychopath. "Nelle's here."

Michael looked up to see both women standing there, watching them. The happiness in his eyes dimmed slightly when he met Nelle's gaze but he nodded. "Hi, Nelle," he greeted amicably.

"Hi, Michael," Nelle replied. Her gaze moved to Aaron and she came closer until she was kneeling down in front of the small boy.

"Hi, baby," the blonde cooed, watching happily as he looked up at her and gave her his undivided attention. "Mommy's so happy to finally see you again."

Aaron stared at her and then offered her a block.

Nelle practically melted at that. Her baby wanted her to play with him! That had to mean that he wanted to be with her, right??

"Thank you," she whispered, not just for the block but for the love that he showed her every time she saw him. She didn't care if everyone else hated her (not even Michael, though she wanted him to love her again as much as she still loves him); as long as Aaron knew she was his mother and returned her affection, she'd be satisfied.

Michael didn't get up when she switched from a kneeling position into a sitting position to get more comfortable as she and Aaron busied themselves with building a block garage for his block house. Instead, he continued to sit silently, watching the mother and son duo play.

Nelle was completely enraptured with Aaron, he observed. She didn't look up for a single second as she played with their son, the smile on her face soft and more genuine than the smirks he's used to seeing on her face. From what he could see, there was a fondness in her eyes, too, as if there was absolutely nowhere she would rather be than on the floor of his home, playing with children's toys.

When Michael found out she was pregnant, he suspected that she would use their baby for her own personal gain and, as it turned out, he was right. She committed a truly monstrous act and made him believe that he died shortly after birth, a result of the stress he and his plan put her under. She played with his emotions and used Willow's dead child to make him and his family suffer.

But…as deceptive and cruel as she was, he also saw a good side in her during her pregnancy. Whenever something happened and she was worried about how it would affect the baby, she'd be sincere. When she and his mother got into a fight that day at the mansion and Nelle fell down the stairs, she was scared that she'd lose their son and then, finally, during the earthquake where she was stuck in a room together with his mother and experienced Braxton Hicks contractions due to the stress from the situation, Carly informed him that Nelle was terrified because it had been too soon before his due date and that something would happen to him if she had to give birth that night.

Of course, it could be argued that she was only terrified because losing his baby would mean losing her chance to reconcile with him and worm her way back into his family so she could have all of the perks of being the mother of a Quartermaine heir.

Watching her now, though, confirmed to him that Nelle really did love their son, she was just terrible at showing it in normal ways because of how her father raised her. It didn't make anything that she did okay, but it did explain all of her disturbing ways.

He really didn't want to get into this custody battle with her, though. He would prefer that they work out their differences and agree to joint custody, but that wasn't their reality. Until Nelle showed that she could change and not turn to vengeance or deceit when something doesn't go her way, he couldn't trust her to raise a child by herself in a healthy environment.

"Why did you name him Aaron?"

Michael was pulled out of his reverie by Nelle. Apparently as he was lost in thought, she'd looked up and noticed him watching her.

Nelle was now staring intently at him while Aaron happily continued to play. They'd finished the block garage and now he was on to zooming his Hot Wheels miniatures across the carpet as he made car sounds.

"What?" Michael asked.

"Why did you name him Aaron?" Nelle repeated.

Michael stared at her. "Because he needed a name?" He replied, confused. Why did that matter so much to her?

"He already had a name. Two of them, actually. Why did you feel the need to give him a third?" Nelle asked.

"Nelle…" Michael began, trying to retain his patience. "We named him Jonah to give him something on his gravestone when we thought he was dead and Wiley was Willow's son's name."

Nelle's eyes flashed at her name. Willow. Precious Willow, innocent Snow White. Why was she so damn important to everyone??????

"Why does it matter that Wiley was Willow's son's name?" The blonde practically growled, attempting to retain control of herself while the anger and jealousy threatened to overwhelm her.

"Because that was the name that my uncle and Brad chose when they adopted him," Michael answered, his face changing into something cold even as his tone remained amicable for his son's sake. "You remember Brad, right, Nelle? He was Wiley's other father, the man whose grief you took advantage of when you met him on the side of the road that night to switch babies."

Nelle couldn't maintain eye contact with Michael after that reminder. She felt a ripple of shame course through her as the memory resurfaced. She'd just given birth with Dr. Liesl Obrecht's assistance and carried her son with her for a while until she saw Brad Cooper, eyes swollen and face ashen, as he held another newborn in his arms, though that newborn was still while hers was alive and squirming against her chest. She remembered pleading her case to Brad to raise her son as his own and how it felt to hold a dead baby in her arms while Brad took her living one away.

She supposed that after the truth came out, it would be painful for another mother to hear a child she thought was hers be referred to by her real, deceased child's name….

"Yeah," Michael replied when she looked away. "That's why I couldn't keep Wiley as a name."

The room was plunged into an uncomfortable silence after those pointed words, punctuated by the vrooms and urrrs that Aaron continued to make with his Hot Wheels.

Finally, Nelle cleared her throat and asked him for a third time, her tone much less confrontational and more curious: "So…why Aaron?"

Michael appreciated that she could read the room and have enough decency to change her tone. "For one, I liked the name, but I also saw in a baby book where it had multiple names and the one I was drawn to was 'exalted,' and one of the meanings of that word is 'in a state of extreme happiness.' I know that I feel extreme happiness when I'm around him, especially when I found out that he was alive," he smiled at Aaron, reaching out and brushing the back of his head with his fingers.

Nelle smiled down at Aaron. "I feel happy around him, too," she agreed softly, dropping a kiss onto the area that Michael touched. Her lips lingered there for a minute, savoring the closeness to her child.

Michael couldn't help but smile at the display. Nelle seemed better around Aaron, more human and loving and motherly. It was a nice change from the manipulative Nelle he was used to.

The rest of their visit passed with surprising peacefulness. It was still tense, though, especially when Sasha sat down to join them and Aaron reached out for her to play with him as well. The gesture once again made that familiar rage well up within Nelle; she just wanted Sasha out of her life, out of Michael's and Aaron's lives! The tension only dissipated when Sasha went upstairs to lie down because she wasn't feeling well.

"Thank you, Michael, for letting me spend time with our son today. I've missed him," Nelle told the father of her child as she stood in the threshold of the mansion doorway.

"I think he's missed you, too," he responded.

"Really?" Nelle asked, her eyes lighting up a bit at the thought.

Michael nodded. "You're his mother, Nelle. I always missed mine when she wasn't around. It didn't matter what was happening; I was just excited to see her when I could," he said.

Nelle smiled, but that smile faltered when she spotted Sasha coming downstairs.

"Hey," Michael said, pulling Sasha gently into his side, gazing at her in concern. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she replied with a tired but reassuring smile. "Just felt a little sick is all. I had to throw up, but what else is new?"

Michael smiled at her. "I'm sorry that things have been rough for you lately," he apologized, his other hand coming up to rest on her flat stomach.

Sasha's hand covered his and her smile was now tinged with love. "It's all part of the deal, right?" She replied playfully.

Michael chuckled and nodded.

Nelle stared down at where Michael's hand was before lifting her eyes to gaze between them, noticing how happy the couple was. Hoping that she was wrong but recognizing the glow on Sasha, she hesitantly asked, "Why have things been rough for you?"

Michael and Sasha broke out of their loving haze, remembering that the blonde was still here. They looked at Nelle before meeting one another's eyes again.

"Do you want to tell her?" Michael asked softly, not wanting the woman he loves to feel uncomfortable with the woman she hates knowing her secret.

Sasha shrugged. "Yeah, let's tell her," she answered. "After all…as much as I hate it, she is Aaron's mother and this involves him, too."

Michael nodded and he returned his attention to Nelle, his hold on Sasha still gentle but now turning protective, their hands now a barrier between Nelle and Sasha's belly.

"Nelle," Michael tentatively began. "Aaron's getting a baby brother or sister. Sasha's pregnant."

The first place that Nelle went to following her visit with Aaron was the park. She needed some time by herself and at this time of day, the park was quieter than most places in Port Charles.

Sasha was pregnant. That little whore was pregnant with Michael's child! She was going to make Nelle's son a big brother!!!

Nelle's fists clenched and her eyes stung with angry tears at the thought. It wasn't fair!!! Why does everyone except for her get to have their happy endings?! Why did Carly—who was way worse than she was when she came to town—get to have children and a husband and a loving family while she was left struggling to even spend time with her son?!

Why did Willow—that pathetic little Snow White who gave away her own baby—get to have Michael's respect and consideration when he renamed Aaron when she wasn't even related to him?!

Why did Sasha get to carry Michael's second child? Why did she have to be the one in Nelle's place, acting like a mother to Aaron on a daily basis while getting to have the privilege of having the Quartermaines like her enough to let her live with them in their own house instead of throwing her into the boat house so they didn't have to acknowledge she was there? Why did she get to give Aaron a sibling?!

Nelle couldn't stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks as she thought of how life always seemed to have her on the short end of the stick, first by giving her an uncaring father like Frank Benson who only paid attention to her when it benefited him, then by forcefully taking her kidney from her, then by having Carly refuse to acknowledge her as family, then by giving Michael to her and then ripping him away when he chose his bitch of a mother over her, and then by taking her son away and making her fight tooth and nail to get him back!

She was so tired of fighting for the things that she wanted. For once she just wanted something to go her way without having to lie or cheat or steal. For once she wanted something good to happen to her and only her…

"Nelle?"

Nelle's head snapped up at the familiar voice and she found herself staring into Emily Webber-Lansing's concerned green eyes.

"Emily!" Nelle quickly rubbed her face with the sleeve of her jacket, vainly hoping that the teenage girl didn't notice her tears.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked softly. "Why are you crying?"

"Nothing, I'm just…" Nelle sniffled. "I'm just going through a lot right now."

"Maybe it would help if you had someone to talk to," Emily suggested as she took a seat beside her on the bench. "I know it always helps me whenever I'm upset and I have my friends there to hear me out."

Once her face was dry, Nelle looked at her. "You'd do that for me?" She asked.

Emily nodded. "Of course," she answered.

Nelle could only stare at her for a moment before she began: "I feel alone. Everyone in town hates me and thinks I'm a monster. I've done bad things, but I don't think they warrant me being a pariah and never seeing my son again.

"I just had a visit with him today as part of a judge's recommendation that I have visitation until the custody battle begins and I enjoyed it. I've missed my son so much since I've been gone, but no one trusts me to be around him unless his father or someone else from his family is present.

"I just found out today, too, that his girlfriend is pregnant and is going to be the one to give my son a younger sibling. That should be me giving him a brother or sister with Michael! Not to mention, he renamed our child without asking for my opinion! I mean, I know that his birth was…traumatic, but that doesn't excuse not telling me about him changing his name from Wiley to Aaron!

"I just feel like I don't matter to anyone! I have no friends, no boyfriend, and now I can only see my baby with supervision; the child I carried for nine months and endured horrendous pain in labor to bring into the world can't even spend one minute alone with me! I deserve better than this!!!"

Nelle confessed that she felt like a child right now, throwing a tantrum, but she didn't care. With every second that passed, her perfect family vision grew further and further away from her. She spent so much time in prison envisioning a reality with her, Michael, and Aaron and getting back at everyone who wronged her; it kept her going and she couldn't lose that. She'd lose her mind completely if all of that was shattered.

Emily was quiet for a while after Nelle's rant, considering the blonde's point-of-view. She wasn't around at the time when Nelle first darkened the Corinthos' doorstep—she'd been spending the year in California with her grandparents and only returned after most of the chaos passed—, but she'd been told enough by Josslyn (and heard enough from Lena and LJ during conversations with Carly) to know the atrocities that Nelle committed against her cousin, her best friend, and their family. On that principle alone, she should think of Nelle only as this troublemaking psychopath and want her to pay, but…she couldn't.

Listening to Nelle now and seeing the red in her eyes when she came upon her crying…she found herself forming her own opinion of Joss' kidney donor.

From Emily's perspective, Nelle was broken, not evil. She never knew what true, unconditional love felt like because of how she was raised. Her father emotionally neglected her and fed her lies for years about how his first wife took Nelle's big sister away from them and how that big sister didn't care about either of them unless she wanted something.

Nelle has made mistakes and committed some despicable crimes, but Emily didn't think she was completely bad. If she was, then she wouldn't have been crying when she saw her just now. Psychopaths and sociopaths didn't feel enough to cry about anything, and Emily knew real tears when she saw them.

She loved her son, too. She didn't have children of her own (hopefully she would in the future), but she knew that a mother's love was very difficult to fake, even for the most selfish of women. If Nelle was that upset over not seeing Aaron, then there was hope for her.

"I can't imagine that life has been easy for you, Nelle," Emily began, her voice saturated with sympathy. "But you don't have to go through its struggles alone."

Nelle gave a wet, derisive laugh. "Yeah?" She challenged, looking at the teenager with doubt. "And how am I not supposed to go through them alone? I don't have any family I can count on and I don't have any friends."

Emily was silent for a minute, considering her next words. However, looking into Nelle's pained eyes, she forged on without any more hesitation: "I'll be your friend."

Nelle's eyes widened in shock. "W-What?" She stammered.

"I'll be your friend," Emily repeated.

"But…why?"

Emily smiled. "Because my mom raised me to never ignore someone who needed help, whether it's physical, a shoulder to cry on, or an actual friend. You shouldn't have to be friendless in a town that already hates you for your past. My mom's been there at different points in her life and she can confirm that it's a lonely, miserable life," she said.

For a while Nelle couldn't speak. She felt like her brain short-circuited as she sat, staring at the girl. Despite the stories and warnings, Emily wanted to be her friend because she didn't want her to be miserable. Except for Joss, Michael, Carly, and Ava in the early days, no one showed her that kind of warmth.

Finally, the blonde smiled—a true smile normally meant for her son—and nodded. "Thank you, Emily," she said sincerely.

Emily's smile brightened. "You're welcome, Nelle," she replied, reaching out and taking her new friend's hand as an offer of comfort.

Nelle gently squeezed the girl's fragile hand, still smiling. Maybe a corner in Nelle's life was finally starting to turn in the direction she desired, thanks to Michael's cousin and Joss' best friend, Emily Webber-Lansing…