Chapters 1 thru 20

"I figured you needed one of these.." Elizabeth said as Emily sat down on the stool.  "Yeah I do, thanks."   "I'll be right back..." Elizabeth said as she noticed a customer come in and sit down at one of the tables near the door.

"So how are things at home?" Liz asked as she gave Emily a menu.  "Let's just say it isn't good.." Em replied as she put down the coffee cup.  "That bad...huh?"

"Do you have a few minutes for us to talk?"...Emily asked as she looked around Kelly's, noticing that it was not very busy.  "Sure, I got a few minutes." ..."we can sit over here."  Emily grabbed her cup of coffee and slipped off the stool. Elizabeth sat down  at the closest table and watched as Emily sat down in disgust.

"What's on your mind, Emily?"  Elizabeth asked.  "Zander.."   "What about him?"..Liz asked sounding a little confused that Emily would even have him on her mind.  "Elizabeth, I have these feelings..."  "For Zander?!...Emily he kidnapped you, took you away from your family and got you shot at!...How could you have feelings for him?" Elizabeth said as she remembered how much he put them through over the last couple of months.  "I know, but these are strong feelings and I can't seem to push them away..I don't know what to do?"  "Well first thing you need to do is stay away from him"... "It's a small town, I am running into him at every corner..." Emily replied as the door of Kelly's opened and the guy who they have been discussing walks in...

"Zander..." Emily whispered as her eyes met his from across the room.

"Speak of the devil himself.." Elizabeth said as Zander approached the table where they were sitting. "Now be nice.." Emily said with a grin.

"Hey.." Zander said with his eyes fixated on Emily. "How have you been.."  "Alright, I guess considering my family is impossible.." Emily replied as Zander pulled out the chair to sit down.

"You want something while your here.." Elizabeth said to Zander as she got up and reached for Emily's empty coffee cup.

"Uh, yeah...a cup of coffee and some eggs are fine..thanks"

"So, still staying at Alexis's, huh?" Emily asked as Zander took off his coat.  "Yeah, for now...at least till the trial is over.." "When is the trial?" Emily asked.  "It starts next week and from what Alexis tells me, there is enough evidence with my testimony to put Sorel away for a long time.."

"I don't have much time to sit and talk, cause I gotta get to school, but..." Emily said as Zander reached for her hand.  "But, what?.." he asked.. "But I wanted to talk to you about something...something important.." Emily said as Elizabeth came back with the coffee.

"Okay, well it looks like this conversation is for two, and I need to get back to work...oh, and your breakfast will be out in a minute..." Elizabeth said trying to be polite as she turned and walked away.

"So what did you want to talk about that is so important.." Zander asked as they held hands on top of the table. "Us..." Emily replied as she noticed Zander was caressing her hand. Stunned by what she said..."Us....what about us?" he asked.  "Well there are some things that I need to tell you and but I don't want to do it here..." Emily said.  As she looked around thinking that this is the wrong place for her to tell him what she is feeling.  Puzzled Zander really didn't know what to say, thinking the worst thoughts that could happen to the relationship.  He knew that this was a situation that he never would of guessed would happen but it has, and he feels so connected to her even after being apart.

"I'll be right back.." Emily said as she got up from the table and walked over to the counter.

"Elizabeth..." Emily said in a whisper..."Elizabeth!"..."What?!"...She replied...also in a whisper. "Do you think I could use your studio for about an hour this afternoon?" Emily asked with a grin. "I am not even gonna ask you why.." Elizabeth said as she handed Emily the keys. "Good, cause you probably wouldn't like the reason..." Emily said kiddingly.  "Thanks Elizabeth.." Emily said reassurringly as she turned back around and walked towards Zander.
 

"So, what's the deal?"  Zander asked...  "Well, I gotta get to school, but will you meet me at Elizabeth's studio about 3 o'clock this afternoon?.." Emily asked hesitantly cause she knew if she ever got caught with Zander, her family would sure ship her off somewhere again.  "Uh, sure I guess so..." he replied confused about her request.

 

"Well, I will see you both later...gotta get to school before they send out the National Guard.." Emily said jokingly as she zipped up her coat.  "Remember...3 o'clock..." She said to Zander...  "I'll be there..don't worry..." he replied as he watched her go out the door.  "I'm not gonna say a word...." Elizabeth said as she turned and walked away.

 

"3 o'clock.." he said to himself as he turned and headed back to the penthouse.

***************************************************************************
 

As the sun peeked through the clouds, Alan and Monica came down the spiral staircase and headed for the living room for breakfast.

"Has anyone seen Emily this morning?..." Alan asked as he grabbed for the sterling silver coffee pot.

"I did, she said she was heading to Kelly's to see Elizabeth before school.." replied Reginald.  "She said she would be home in time for dinner and not to worry.."

"That'll be the day that we as her parents don't worry about her..." replied Alan "Especially since Zander is out and walking about Port Charles..."

"Can we not discuss that topic this morning..." Monica said as she filled her plate with some fruit preserves.  "I would like to eat my breakfast in peace..."

"So, what is on your schedule for the day Monica.." asked Alan as he sat down on the large sofa that was centered in the room.

"I have plenty of patients to see this morning, with all of this going on with Emily, the patients haven't seen much of me lately.." she replied.

"Well good, I got paperwork to do at the hospital..I'll come with you." Alan said as he sipped his coffee.

"Good morning family..everyone sleep well last night..." Edward bellowed as he walked into the room.  " I know I didn't with that deviant roaming the streets!..."

"I don't want to hear it, Edward.." Monica snapped back in reply.

"If you are going to bring up Zander, Monica and I are going to the hospital.." Alan said.

"Well, fine if you don't want to know where your daughter is this morning.." replied Edward.

"We already know where she is...and that she left early this morning.." Monica said as she got up from the table and walked past him.

"There isn't much that goes on in this house, that we don't know about...father." Alan said as he put his coffee cup down on the coffee table in front of the sofa.

As Alan and Monica were headed for the door, the phone rang...

"Who could that be so dang early this morning..." Edward said as he reached for the phone...

"Good morning Quartermaine residence..." he said..."and I even have to answer my own phone..what do we have servants for?..." he said as he coved the receiver of the phone.

"Yes, hello...." Edward snapped.

"Yes, she is here..it's for you Monica..." he said as he handed Monica the phone. " It's the hospital"...

A worried look overcame her face as she listened to the caller.

"I'll be right there..." she replied in a panic..

As she hung up the phone..."Is it Emily....what's wrong?" asked Alan as Monica stared at him.

"Oh, no it's not about Emily..one of my patients in ICU had problems last night..." she replied as Alan released the breath he had been holding.

"Well, then let's get to the hospital..." he said as he followed her out of the living room.

**********************************************************************************

As she sat thinking about him...she heard someone come down the stairs and approach her...

"Emily..." said the voice that stood beside her...

"Juan, what are you doing here?"...Emily replied thinking oh please don't let Zander be early...if he sees her with Juan he would not be happy.

"I saw you sitting here and...well, we need to talk.." Juan replied.

"Talk about what?" she said..."There is nothing more to talk about..it's over, we're over..."

"To you maybe..." Juan said as he sat down on the bench beside her.

"Juan, how many times do I have tell you...I'm not..." she started to say as he cut her off saying..

"You're not what?...interested?...it's Zander agian ain't it.." replied Juan.

"Yes..for one hundredth time...I have strong feelings for him, Juan.." she said as she looked around the docks for any sign of Zander.

"You meeting him here...?" replied Juan..
"No, huh what made you say that?"  she asked.

"I don't know, it is kinda obvious that you are waiting for someone..." Juan replied as Lucky came around the corner.

"Yeah I am..I'm..huh..waiting for Lucky"...Emily said surprised to see Lucky and thanked God for small favors.

"Huh, yeah...Emily called me and said she needed to talk about something.." Lucky said as he approached them.  "So, why don't you take off...Juan..it looks to me that you are not wanted around here anymore.." .

"Fine...I just wanted to let Emily know that I am leaving tomorrow for a 6 month tour...and.."

"And what...I am supposed to care... if I didn't see you around town anymore" replied Emily as she got up from the wooden bench..."not likely.." she mumbled under her breath.

"Well, I just thought...you might want to know..that's all....Juan replied and turned and walked away.

"What was that all about?..." Lucky asked as he watched Juan walk down the pier.

"Juan being Juan...he thinks that he still has a chance..." she replied.

"I thought you two were over.." Lucky said as he sat down on the bench.

"We are..he just doesn't realize we are..." replied Emily as she flipped her hair.

"I don't think I want to know what you are doing down here on the docks by yourself...do I?" asked Lucky.

"No probably not...I'm waiting for..." Emily started to say as she saw Zander coming towareds them.

"Don't tell me...uh, Zander?..." he replied...not knowing that Zander was closer then he thought.

"Hey.." Zander said as he stepped closer to the two of them.

"Well, I gotta go pick up Elizabeth...we're going to the movies tonight as I promised.." Lucky said as he got up from the bench.

"Hey, thanks for....ya know..earlier.." Emily replied.  " Yeah no problem..." replied Lucky as he turned and went up the steps towards Kelly's.

"So, what was that all about...?"  Zander asked as he sat down beside her on the bench.

"Nothing...Lucky saved me from a conversation with Juan...that's all.." Emily replied not knowing if she should of told him or not.

"Juan was here with you..." Zander said "What for?"....

 "Yeah, he wanted to tell me that he was leaving on a tour and wouldn't be around...like I'd care?" she replied.

"So, you wanted to talk about us..or something.." Zander said as he put his arm on the back of the wooden bench.

"Oh, yeah...I thought we could use Elizabeth's studio for some privacy...it's just up there.." she replied as she pointed in the direction of the building that sat behind them.

"You got the keys?.." Zander said as he walked up the stairs toward the door of the of the studio.

"Yeah, here in my backpack..." she replied as she ruffled through her black back pack she had draped over her shoulder.

"What?....what's the matter.." he said.  "Nothing..there was someone coming..I didn't want anyone to..."
"..to what....see you with me."

"No that's not it..." she replied..."Oh, I don't know..."

  

"Emily, I have to tell you something"....Zander said as he released his embrace of her..." I need to tell you something too.." she replied.  "I should of told you this a long time ago, but I guess I was afraid you didn't feel the same way about me..."
"Zander there is nothing you have to be afraid of...I am here and I will always be here for you.

"Emily...I have these feelings for you that I cannot describe, they over come my whole being when I am with you..."

"I know, me too...Zander, I feel them too..."

"I don't know what I would do without you, Emily...you saved my life, you have changed my life, you are the reason for my being...I really have no other words to describe what you have done for me..."

 

"Zander, I have felt this way for a while now, and I am just beginning to sort through my feelings about you.  I am not sure what they are or where they came from...all I know is that I have them...and they're not leaving.  I feel this way when you walk into the room or you look into my eyes....Zander, I am afraid that if I walk out that door, I am never going to feel this way again, like I feel when I'm with you. You have to be the best thing that has ever happened to me..."

"Emily...." he whispered so lightly against her skin...."I..I..I love you so much.."

"Did you say what I think you said...?"
"Yeah...I love you, Emily...from now to eternity" he said as he kissed her softly once again.
"Zander...I..I..I love you too...I love you so much that I don't ever want to let go, please don't let me go tonight..." she replied as she touched his clean shaven skin.  "Please take me in your arms and never let me go."

"Zander, I need to make a phone call..."
"Who are you calling..." he replied as Emily stood up and went for her cell phone.
"I need to call Elizabeth and then call my parents to tell them I won't be home tonight.."
"Wait, you're not going home tonight, but..."
"Yeah, I'll tell them I'm staying with Elizabeth tonight, they won't be none the wiser that I'll be here with you..."

Emily quickly dialed Elizabeth's phone number so she could set the plan into motion...

"Elizabeth...it's me..."
"Yeah everything is fine..listen could you do me a huge favor..."
"I'm gonna need your studio a little longer then I thought...how long?"
"well, till tomorrow morning..."

From the look on Emily's face, Elizabeth had approved of this rendezvous that was about to take place.  Zander walked behind Emily and placed his hands around her waist and kissed her gently on the nape of her neck.  He knew he had found something special and he was not about to give it up without a fight.  They were so much in love, and now they knew their true feelings...there was nothing anyone could do stop this now.

"Okay, I'll meet you for breakfast at 7 and return your keys...and Elizabeth..thanks.."
"So things are okay with Elizabeth.." Zander asked.
"Yeah things are great..." Emily said as she kissed him quickly...
"Now I have to make one more phone call...so be quiet and stop that..." she said as Zander had been giving her his sweet kisses on her neck.
"We have to do this right the first time, cause if not...my parents are going to become suspicious..."

Emily had hung up with Elizabeth and redialed her phone number hoping reach one of her parents.

"Hello..Reginald...it's me..Emily, are my parents home yet.."
"Could I speak with one of them please...thanks..."
"Their eating dinner...Reginald is getting one of them to the phone..shhh!"
"Mom...it's me...listen I didn't want you to worry, but I'm gonna stay at Elizabeth's tonight..okay?...I thought I'd call and let you know so you don't worry...I'll be home after breakfast."
"K...see you tomorrow morning then...alright I'll behave...I always do don't I?"
"bye"...

"We are so good to go ... see how easy that was?...piece of cake.."

"Zander, where the hell are..." she said to silence on the other end. "Well hello to you to.." the voice replied.  "Ned..is that you?"..."Yeah sweetheart...Zander missing again." Ned replied. "No he's just late, I'm sure he's gonna call shortly.." "You don't think that they are..." "No of course not, he knows that I mean business about calling...he'll call." Alexis said as she got a little more worried about his whereabouts.

"So, what did you call for..." Alexis said as she took a seat behind the desk. "Well, I wanted to know if you wanted to get some late dinner at the PC Grill tonight.."
"You know I would, but I really should wait for Zander to call..."
"Alexis, he's a big boy, he can take care of himself..."
"Yeah I know, but I'm worried about him..he should of been back by now.."
"Well, maybe he got hung up somewhere..."
"Yeah, or could be dead....Sorel's men are still out there.."
"Look, I'm sure he'll call or come home...soon."
"So, what about dinner.."
"We could eat here at the penthouse..."
"What .. popcorn..?"
"You love popcorn, Ned...I could whip something up or we could order take out.."

Just as she said that the door bell rang...

"Ned, someone's at my door...I'll have to call you back..."
"okay..bye."

Alexis hung up the phone and opened the door...

She was relieved to see Zander standing in front of her...she didn't know whether to hug him or to strangle him..

"Where have you been..." Alexis said as she let him in...
"What....I was...well, I was busy..." Zander said as he remembered he had been with Emily all day...and a smile came over his face.
"Okay, I'm not gonna ask, cause I know you sure aren't gonna tell me."
"Alexis, I'm fine...what are you so worried about..." Zander said as he took off his coat and walked over to the sofa to sit down.

"Can I talk to you about something..?"
"Sure Zander, what's up?..."
"I need to talk to you about Emily..."
"Oh,...okay what about her?" Alexis said as she sat down beside him.
"Well, I guess you figured it out that we have been seeing each other on the sly..huh?"
"Yeah I figured as much.."
"Well, then you know how close we have gotten over the last few months.."
"What's your point, Zander?...popcorn?" Alexis replied as she offered Zander the bowl of popcorn that was sitting on the coffee table.
"Uh, no thanks...Alexis...I..uh, I love her.."
"Are you sure, are you really sure...cause love is a big thing..."
"Yeah, I am sure...I need her..she has been my everything, I take every breath for her..."
"Okay, what does she say about this..."
"Well, that is what I was getting, ya see..we were together this afternoon and well, uh.."Zander replied as he got a little nervous talking about this with Alexis, but she was really the only person who would understand.
"We talked about this, me and Emily and well, she uh, loves me too.."
"So what's the problem..."
"The problem is her parents...they are never in a million years gonna let me see her..."
"Probably not...."
"Now you can't tell anyone I told you this, Alexis...this has to stay between you and me...cause if this ever got back to her parents, I'd be sitting in jail again.."
"I won't tell a soul..."
"Not even Ned...cause he is sure to tell the family..and we can't have that, Alexis..I won't lose her again..."
"Now why are you telling me this..."
"Because I didn't want you to worry when I don't come home tonight.." he replied just waiting for the lecture about being out and in the open and how dangerous it was..so he was prepared for anything she threw at him...
"Not come home tonight, but where would you go?"
"Alexis, I'll be with...."
"Oh, gotcha...well when will you be back..." Alexis replied as she finally got where he was going with this.
"I'll be back sometime tomorrow morning...don't you want to know where I'll be staying..."
"That would be good...and be sure that you are extra careful tonight..."
"We're gonna be at Elizabeth's studio down on the docks...and yeah, I'll be EXTRA careful.." Zander replied with a chuckle and his smirkish grin.
"Now I'm serious, Zander..Sorel's goons are still out there...it can be dangerous for you to be out there alone walking the docks.."
"Oh, Alexis...I won't be doing much walking tonight..." he replied with a devilish grin...

Alexis being slow at picking these things up..looked at him kinda oddly and left his words pass right over her head.

"Well I'd better get going...Emily is waiting for me back at the studio...and before you say anything...I'll be careful..and I'll make sure her cell is on so if you need me call.." Zander replied as he got up and put his coat on.
" Okay, and I would like to remind to take your keys along....cause I may not be here tomorrow morning when you do decide to come home.."
"Oh, thanks for reminding me...I'll go get them..I left them on the nightstand in my room, that's why I had to knock earlier..."
" And while you do that..I'm gonna call Ned back..."

As she picked up the receiver to call Ned, the door bell rang.....

"Now what..." she said in disgust and frustration...
"Alexis...it's me..."
"Ned?.." she replied to herself...

Alexis reached for the door knob as Zander came down the stairs...

"Who's at the door?..." Zander asked...
"Ned..."
"What does he want..."
Alexis just shrugged as if to say I don't know...
"Well, can keep him busy while I slip out, I don't want him to know that I'm going to see Emily.."
"Alexis?...." Ned replied from on the other side of the door..
"Coming...now wait a sec..."
"You can't let him standing out there...he's gonna get suspicious.."
"I'll let him in and just tell him you are going somewhere..."
"Where?...."
"I don't know, make somethin' up"....
"Oh, okay..I'll just make somethin' up...I'm good at doin' that..." Zander replied as he got this goofy look..."yeah right..I'll make somethin' up..."

Alexis reached for the door and turned the knob to let Ned in...he'd been standing out there waiting for her to open the door, so he was anxious to come in....

"What took you so long...I was waiting out there forever..." Ned said as he gave Alexis a kiss on the cheek.
"Uh, oh I was on the phone...and ...."
"Nevermind....I completely understand...work..."
"Hey Ned..." Zander said as he walked towards the door.
"Now remember what I said..."
"Yes, I remember...and you remember what I said..."
"Okay did I miss something here..." Ned asked with a puzzled look on his face.
"Oh, Zander's going out...and I just wanted him to make sure he had his keys..."
"Well, have a good time you two...." Zander said as he opened the door.
"You be careful out there...ya hear?"
"Yes, mom..." Zander said jokingly...

Zander closed the door to the penthouse and pushed the down arrow button on the elevator pad....he needed to pick some things up before heading back to the studio.

"Mom?..." Ned replied with question...
"What's he talking about....I definitely missed something..."
"Nothin' you didn't miss anything...ready to go to dinner..."
"Now don't change the subject..."
"I'm not...I'm just hungry". Alexis replied hoping that by now Zander got on the elevator and was headed to see Emily.

"Where we going...for dinner that is...?"
"How bout..."
"Don't you dare say Kelly's..cause you eat there more then I do since the whole staff at the Q house has been on strike...."
"No, how bout the PC Grill..."
"Sounds fine with me..." Ned said as he helped Alexis with her coat and they walked out the penthouse door.
 

************************************************************************************************

"Now where is he..." Emily thought to herself..."He's been gone a while now.."

"what else...somethin' was missing...but what?" Emily said to herself trying to think of what it needed yet...

As she stood there thinking of many thoughts, there was a knock in the door...

"Emily...it's me.." the voice said from the other side of the door.
"Zander,...." She replied as the feelings of tonight rushed over her.

"Now I know what is missing..." she said as she opened the door..
"What's missing..."
"You..." she said as she pulled him close to her and kissed him quickly...
"Close the door..we don't want everyone to see us...now do we.."
"Nah, I guess not..." She replied.

He couldn't believe that she had done all this while he was gone...

"How did you know this is what I had in mind..." he asked.
"I guess we are connected that way..." she replied as she noticed he was carrying something.
"Watcha got there..."
"Oh this...nothin' ..it's nothin'"...Zander said as he tried to hid what he had in his hand behind him.
"Aw come on...what is it?...somethin' for me?...
"Well, you could say that..." Zander replied with a little chuckle. "It's for later..."
"Later...why not now..." Emily said as she tried to sneek a peak at what he was hiding.
"No it's for later...you will just have to wait..."
"Okay, what about a hint..."
"I'll give you a hint if you give me...one of these.."...as said that he grabbed her and pulled her close to him and kissed her deeply on the sweet lips that he so wanted to feel.

"Are you sure..?" he asked before they got to far and couldn't stop this whirlwind they were on..
"I'm sure, I want you to make love to me, Zander..." she replied as she raised her head to kiss him once again.
"You know I love you..."
"I know, and I love you too..."

With that said, he felt his way down to her waist and started to unbutton her blue jeans, she stopped him...

"Let me do that..." she whispered...they can be tricky..she giggled.

He looked at her and smiled...

"Emily...I want you so bad...."
"Zander, I am yours for the taking..." she whispered in his ear as he kissed her so...

He followed his emotions and his thoughts as his mouth made his way down to the softest skin he has ever explored, her breasts were so...they were so what he wanted, as his mouth moved across her nipple.  He knew she had felt the pleasure of him caressing her so, because of the way he could feel the motion of her body as he tenderly aroused her.  She was so wrapped up in the feelings of arousal and the energy they both shared, she was hoping he didn't notice that he was doing most of the work, she just laid there taking it all in, she was feeling more pleasure then she had every felt.  As he caressed her and kissed her tenderly on her skin, her hands found the small of his back knowing that this was his "spot", she had found it by accident one night and she told him that she would never forget.  With one touch of her hand, he reacted in a way that she knew he was enjoying every sensual moment she spent lingering around that spot.  He was certainly aroused by this time and he thought to himself about how it would be when he finally be able to be inside of her.  He wanted them to become one and had found that this was the moment, he couldn't resist no longer...he wanted to be with her completely, he wanted them to become one.

As their bodies intertwined underneath the covers of the queen size bed, he had thought of nothing but her.  There was no trial, no past to speak of, no running from anyone and everyone....just the two of them enjoying each other.  It was so perfect.  It certainly was what he had expected, passionate, tender yet so innocent for being their first time.

He moved his hand down the side of her shapely hips as the other found its way through her hair around her temple.

"This is what I want.." Zander said as he moved his hand towards her inner part of her thigh. She quivered slightly as his fingertips teased her sensitive skin.  "Are you okay...Emily..." "Yeah, I'm fine.." " Do you want me to stop, cause I can..." "No, please no don't stop" she said breatheless.

"Zander....this feels so right..." Emily said as she pulled herself up and sat on his waist.
"It feels so right for me to Emily..."

"Uh, I think we should stop before we go to far..."
"But why...we so much have enjoyed each other....why would you want to stop.."
"No, no, not stop...I want you, really I do..I just thought we might want to use one of these..." Zander said as he pulled a condom from the pocket of his jeans.
"Boy, you came prepared...a little presumptuous isn't it?...
"Okay, maybe a little..."

 

Zander took the little packet and tried to open it with his hands and he couldn't rip the plastic.  He put the packet in between his teeth and ripped it open...

 

"Do you need help with that?..." Emily said as she slid off to the side so he would have room to put it on.
"No...eh I think I got it.." Zander replied as he seem to be struggling with getting out of the wrapper.
"Here let me do that for you...I promise it won't hurt a bit..."
"Okay be gentle.."
"Don't worry I will..." Emily replied as she took the condom and wrapped it around and unrolled it down his shaft.
"See..all better.."
"Now where were we..." Zander said as he pulled Emily back towards him.
"I think we were here..." she said as she leaned in to kiss him.

She straddled him once again and as their bodies met, she had the incredible urge to shift her legs to open the unexplored area.  He was kinda surprised that she made the first move, but he followed her lead and moved his hand to place his hardened flesh inside of her.  She let out a moan of passion as she felt him inside...two of them moving so perfectly together. Moving to the rhythm of the music that had been playing on the radio, suddenly gave them the momentum they need to reach their moment of ecstasy.  Their rhythm quickened as she felt his hips start to thrust him deeper inside her, she felt every motion of him, and he felt every intense spasm in her, with one last movement of his hips, he knew that this was the moment that they would remember for a lifetime. As he peaked his moment of intensity, he was able to release what had been bottled up in side of him for such a long time.  A few short thrusts of his hips, she knew that this was the moment they wanted and desired.  He left out a moan as he reached his peak, and he arched his back to add a little extra push to the feeling of it.

"How do you feel?..." Zander asked breathlessly
"I feel wonderful..you were wonderful..." Emily replied as she shifted her hips and what was once one, has now become two.
"I didn't hurt you did I?.."
"No, you didn't hurt me...it was perfect..."

It had been a few hours since she had spoken to her folks and thought she should give them a call to check in.  As she crawled over top of  his waist to get out of bed..he quickly grabbed her as if to keep her from leaving his side.

"Hey, where are you going?.." he said jokingly
"I was going to call my parents and check in with them.."
"Well I think that you should stay right here with me for a little while longer.." Zander said as he pulled her back into his arms.

The tension between them had finally been broken, they were so happy to be together.  Laughin' and joking like they didn't have a care in the world.  There one night together had finally happened and they were just enjoying it to the fullest.

"Zander..."
"Yes Emily..."
"Have I told you in the last hour or so that I love you..."
"No you haven't and I love you too...so much and I love you even more now..."
"I love you even more now too..."
"I love being here with you, to hold you so close, to feel you here with me..."
"You are my life Emily...you are my every breath I take...if it wouldn't be for you, I don't know where I'd be...you have truly changed my life and I will forever love you for that..."
"How sweet of you to say that, Zander.."
"It's true..it is so true...my feelings for you run so deep..I love you with all of my heart, body and soul."
"I know you do, and I love you...now and forever..."

Chapter 3

It had been over a week since Zander and Emily's perfect night together.  They were still being so careful not to be seen with each other in public places, if her parents got wind of their romance, she would be history...ancient history.  That would be all she needed was to have her parents on her back, she didn't need the extra pressure...Zander's testimony against Sorel was coming up and she needed to focus her attentions on him and help him through this ordeal.  It would soon be over, Alexis had made a real strong case against Sorel, thanks to Zander's testimony...she feels confident enough that Sorel will be put away for a very long time.

Emily's days had been pretty much filled with school and with exams.  She hadn't seen Zander in a few days, but hears from him every night before she goes to sleep.  She is hoping to pull this charade off for just one more week.  With Zander no longer in danger of Sorel and now working with Sonny, it seems he is getting his life back on track.  After they came back from Arizona, Sonny was upset and disappointed in Zander for jumping bail and lying to him about the money.  So, Sonny offered Zander a job at the warehouse to pay him back.  Sonny knew that Emily would have a problem with him doing anything more then warehouse work, and he couldn't put her in that situation again.  It was fine with her that Zander was working for Sonny, it was actually so perfect, cause they could meet down on the docks and her family would be none the wiser about their romance that had been on going for months now.

It was a beautiful day in June and Emily just need to be out of the house, she had done way to much studying for one day...she need to take a walk and clear her head.  Emily grabbed her coat from the closet and left her room headed for the spiral staircase.  Noticing that the house seemed to be empty, she quickly scurried down the stairs to the front door.  Thinking she made a clean getaway she reached for the door knob.

"Emily...where ya headed?" said the voice behind her...
Startled by the voice she heard she turned around and there stood Reginald..."just going for a walk..way to much stuff in my head to study, I need to clear my mind...I'll be back in a few.."
"Okay, just remember that dinner is at 6 o'clock.."
"Oh, yeah sure I'll be back way before then..." Emily replied and with that she opened up the door as she walked through and closed it behind her.

"She ain't just going for that walk..." Reginald said quietly to himself.

"Zander.." Emily said quietly to herself as her heart beat faster...he just took her breath away by looking at him.

"Zander...what are you doing here..?" She said as she ran into his arms.
"I came for you..I missed you and I wanted so much to see you."
"You shouldn't be here...if anyone found you here, I am sure there would be trouble.."
"Emily,  I don't care anymore...I don't care what others think, I just want to be with you."
"I want the whole world know that I am hopelessly in love with you."
"That's what I want to, Zander..but we need to be careful for another week..Sorel's trial starts next week and after that...."
He stopped her right there as he put his index finger over her mouth..."Shh..there is no trial next week..."
"What do you mean no trial next week, sure there is .. Sorel's .." he stopped her again...
"No, I tried to call you on your cell and you didn't answer, so I thought I'd come over and tell you in person.."
"What...what happened.."
"Alexis got a call from the prosecutor an hour ago...Sorel confessed..to everything...they got it in writing, tape, video..everything..he's being sentenced on Monday."
She was so happy she jumped in his arms and with the momentum he started to twirl her around, on an impulse she kissed him.
"What was that for..." Zander asked.
"For being you...just for being you." She replied
After she calmed down a little, he asked..
"Whatcha doin' now..."
"Well, I got some studying left to do before tomorrow's exam...why what did you have in mind.." she replied with a flirtatious look in her eye.
"I don't know...how bout dinner?..."
"Dinner?...with what?..."
"Money..ya know the stuff a job pays you with for a hard days work.."
She looked puzzled...
"I got pay today, sweet heart...where do you wanna go?..."
"You got pay?....I thought you were working off your bill with Sonny.."
"Yeah I am,  but he wanted me to take you out...so he gave me an advance..."
"If he keeps giving you advances in pay, it'll be years before you pay him off.."
"Well, I'm supposed to have dinner with my folks at 6, but I can sneak away after that.."
"How bout we meet at Alexis's and go from there..."
"Sounds good to me, I'll see you later say around 8 ish...okay.."
"I'll be counting the minutes.." Zander replied as he leaned in for a good bye kiss.

"I'll see you tonight then...."
"Okay...around 8..." Emily replied as he turned and started to walk down the path towards the Gate House.

She was so much in her own little world when she walked in the front door of the mansion, she didn't even notice AJ coming out as she was going in.  She walked right past him, and didn't even acknowledge him with a hello. She climbed the stairs as AJ walked out the front door.  The slam of the door knocked her back into the world of reality, she was dreaming way to much about Zander, she needed to focus on her exams tomorrow.  The final day of school before graduation and she needed to study.  Her dreams of going to Harvard were not that far from reality.  If she studied hard and made the grade on these exams...she'll be a shoe in.  Thoughts of leaving Zander here in Port Charles crossed her mind.  How was she ever going to leave him here while she went to college.  College seemed to so far off, she had plenty of time to think about going to college.  She needed to get through these exams tomorrow and graduate before thinking about the fall semester.

As she walked down the hall towards her room, she noticed her parent's bedroom door was open and it seemed strange, they always close the door...she wondered if one of them were home yet...a thought crossed her mind..wonder if they saw that Zander was here...if they saw him here..she would be in so much trouble.  She loved Zander so much, and she loved her family.  She certainly would have a very difficult decision if it came down to her making a choice.  As she walked into the bedroom, she noticed that the room was empty...she turned around to walk back into the hallway.  She was met by the man she loved so...Zander was standing right in front of her, face to face with her...she was so shocked to see him in the house, she could barely stand it...a little scared, a little excited...they didn't say a word.as she scurried him down to her bedroom.  As they entered the room she couldn't help but ask him to explain.
 

"What are you doing here...I thought you left..." she said as she closed the door behind them.
"I thought I'd surprise you..."
"Well you certainly did..what if Reginald or worse grandfather would of seen you..."
"Don't worry no one saw me....I climbed through the window...what do you think I walked in the front door?...Zander replied with that grin that made her smile.
"Zander...." she started as he quickly kissed her...she melted in his arms right then and there.

As they stood in her room just holding each other tight, he started to remember how they made love at the studio and remembered the little surprise he didn't give to her.  He wanted so badly for her to have it....he decided to give her the surprise tonight. 

"Emily..there is one more thing I wanted to tell you before tonight..."
"And that is..."
"Remember the other night at the studio, I had gotten you that surprise..."
"Yes, and you forgot to give it me..."
"Now I didn't forget...I wanted to give it to you but ...you were sleeping so peaceful I didn't want to wake you.."
"So...."
"Well I thought I would give you the surprise tonight at Alexis's.."
"Well, now I am certainly intrigued at what the surprise is..can you give me a hint.."
"No hints..this is something that I think that will certainly be a surprise to you..and I want it to be special..so no hints."
"Okay...I trust you...now you better get outta here before someone comes looking for me..and they find you in my bedroom.."
"Alright I'm going..I know when I'm not wanted.." he said with a grin..
"Oh but you are..." she replied with a kiss.
"Now go before I change my mind.."she said as he started to crawl out the window..

She felt so refreshed after her shower..she just laid on her bed and relaxed a few moments before getting dressed.

********************************************************************************************************

After Zander left the Quartermaine estate he walked down to the docks hoping to find Sonny.  He needed some advice about tonight with Emily, and since Sonny knew the stakes he was the best one to talk to about this.  Zander made his way down to the coffee warehouse and had a look around.  He didn't see anyone working anymore, so he decided to head back to the penthouse.

He came up the elevator and as the door opened Johnny was there to greet him.

"Hey....Sonny around..." Zander said to Johnny as the elevator door closed.
"Yeah, he's home..would you like to speak to him..."
"Yeah I would...if he don't mind.."

"So what can I do for you.." Sonny said as he got up from the sofa...
"Well I need some advice...about Emily.."
"About Emily....okay well let's sit down...and talk about this.."
"What's on your mind Zander.."
"Well ya see...a few nights ago I told Emily that am in love with her...and well, we have been seeing each other for about 6 months now and we have really gotten serious..."
"How serious..."
"Serious enough...and I really do love her..I love her so much..she is the air I breath, she is everything to me ... Sonny"
"I can see that..I really do and I see that in her too..she loves you too.."
"So my question to you is.." Zander asked as he reached into his pocket of his black jeans...
"Do you think she's gonna like it?..." Zander asked as he pulled out a diamond ring that he bought a few weeks ago with the money he had made working for Sonny.
"Well, now you know that every woman loves diamonds.." Sonny replied with a grin..
"I really want to do this, Sonny..we have come so far....and we mean so much to each other..."
"She is graduating next week, you're still on probation..."
"Yeah I know..I know...but we don't have to get married right away....we'll wait..but I want to give this to her as a promise and a commitment from me..."
"What about her parents....they are not going to be happy about this.."
"Yeah I know...but I'm working, I will take care of my own...we don't need their money..."
"I have no doubts that you will take care of her, protect her, and provide a wonderful life for her.."
"But....I know there is a but coming.."
"No..no buts..if you think the two of you are ready for this...then you're ready...you can't worry about what others think...about you, about what you do, about who you marry...it is up to you how you want to live your life...and if it is with Emily...then...it's with Emily.."
"Thanks Sonny ...  I knew I came here for a reason..."
"You better get your butt across the hall...Alexis has been looking for you all day..."
"Great...I wonder what I am in for this time..."
"So, how long are you gonna stay with Alexis?.."
"I don't really know..why?"
"Well if you are going through with this tonight, I just thought you might want to have another surprise for Emily.."
"Yeah and what's that.."
"Well, I do own the building that is situated next to the coffee warehouse...and it is primarily used for storage..but there is a loft that is still in pretty nice shape and it also has a back entrance for privacy...you interested?"
"Yeah sure I'm interested...but what about rent?"
"Pay me when you can....and there is no need to thank me..consider it an early wedding present.."
"Thank you...a thank you is not enough.." Zander replied as he reached his hand out to shake Sonny's hand..
"So when do you want to move in.."
"Move in...?"
"Yeah I had figured you wanted to move out sooner or later so when Jason came to visit a few weeks ago, I had him decorate for you...It's all ready to go..."
"Like now, like I can move in now.."
"Sure can...but I think you are going to need these..." Sonny replied as he handed Zander a set of keys.
"What can I say...I am totally speechless..thank you a hundred times over.."
"Just take care of Emily... I promised Jason some time ago that I would look after her...and now... I can see that you will look after her..."
"I will..I swear to you right now...I will always take care of her..always.."Zander said as he walked towards the door.
"Johnny.." Sonny yelled at the door..
"Sir..."
"Follow Zander across the hall and when he is ready take him over to the warehouse...he is moving in upstairs in the loft.."
"Yes, sir.."
"Johnny will take care of everything and anything you need.."
"Thank you Sonny..thank you very much.."
Sonny just nodded his head in confirmation and Zander walked out the door.

"So where have you been.." Alexis asked as she reached for her glasses and removed them from the top of her head.
"Well, I was over at Sonny just now...and it looks like you are going to be losing a roommate."
"You're moving out?..do you think that is wise?"
"Alexis...I have to..it's time..I have disrupted you life way to long...I think I have overstayed my welcome.."
"Nonsense...Ned's getting used to the idea.."
"Yeah right..he'd rather see my sorry butt back in jail and away from Emily.."
"True .. but he has tried.."
"Like I haven't..."
"Now I didn't say that..of course you have..we all have"
"Well, I am going to pack a few of my things and Johnny is going to take me over to the loft.."
"But first I think you should make a phone call.."
"To who?"
"Emily...she called a few minutes ago.."
"Yeah, I guess I should call her.."
"Thanks Alexis...for everything..."
"Sure..no problem.."

He picked up the phone and dialed Emily's cell phone number...he was so anxious to tell her about the loft apartment.  He thought maybe he would wait and surprise her..he'd ask her to meet him at Kelly's and they could walk to the warehouse from there.

****************************************************************************************

After dinner with the family, Emily went upstairs to grab her coat before she went to meet Zander.  As she opened the door to her bedroom she heard her cell phone ringing.

"Hello...."
"Emily...it's me.."
"Zander..where have you been..I've been calling Alexis every 5 minutes.."
"Sorry I was with Sonny..we had a few things to discuss.."
"A few things...what's going on.."
"It's about your surprise..."
"Any hints.."
"No hints...now I told you...you are going to be so surprised..especially since it is now two surprises.."
"Two?...why two.."
"I will tell you all about it when you meet me at Kelly's.."
"At Kelly's .... why there.."
"Don't ask questions...I'll meet you there in about 20 minutes...okay.."
"I'm leaving now.."
"Emily..."
"Yeah..."
"I love you..."
"I love you too..see you in a couple of minutes.."
"K..bye.."
"bye.."

As she came up to the front of Kelly's, she noticed a few couples sitting at the tables that were outside the diner.  She peered through the window looking to see if Zander was there waiting for her.

"Lookin' for me.." the voice said from behind her...
She turned around and saw Zander standing in front of her...
"Yeah.. I was..I figured we would get a bite to eat while we are here..considering Alexis doesn't have anything in her kitchen but popcorn and water."
"No need for food...we got places to go..come on.."
"Where...Zander where are we going.."
"You'll see..it's part one of the surprise..."

He took her hand and they walked down along the pier hand and hand...she thought it was odd, because they never have done this before..walking hand and hand in public..this was definitely different.  He could feel that she was anxious to see her surprise and he was so nervous to give it to her.  He couldn't wait to see her face when he proposed...this was something she would remember for the rest of her life.  He was just hoping that Rick had prepared the room as Sonny instructed.

As they approached the coffee warehouse, she wondered what he was up to.."What are we doing here.." she asked him as the turned off into the alley next to where he worked.  "Your surprise..remember.." he said as the reached the back stairs. "Zander what is this.." she asked as she followed him up the stairs. "This my dear is surprise number one.." he replied as he unlocked the door.

"Okay wait..." he said before opening the door to his new apartment. "Wait for what..let me see.." she replied as she tried to sneak a peak inside.   He turned to her and she looked at him with her deep brown eyes.."Emily, this is a gift from me to you...well actually from Sonny to me and you. He replied as he opened up the door to the loft.  "What is all this.." she said as she stepped inside.  "This Emily is my new place.." he replied as he followed her and closed the door behind him. He reached for the light switch on the wall behind the door.  " Your new place...you mean you live here.." she said as she got all excited..finally a place to call home.  "I do now..Sonny had Jason redecorate and he said I could pay him rent when I had it..you like it.." he asked as he took off his coat. "Like it...I love it.." she said as she walked across the hardwood floor.

The loft rested above an old storage warehouse that Sonny had used to store extra coffee and other equipment for the warehouse next door.  The place sat empty for a while, but Jason had added a few touches while he stayed here when he was visiting a month or so ago.  The loft was spacious, and had all the amentities of home.  Jason had added a queen sized bed, refrigerator, a kitchen table with 2 chairs, plus the sofa and recliner in the living room.  The loft was an open area that had a hard wood floors with some throw rugs lying about the room.  It had 3 large windows on the backside wall and skylights above the living room.  You would never guess that it was above the warehouse.

"Well it looks like Jason thought of everything.." she said as she walked over to the stereo system standing in the corner of the living room.  "There are probably some CD's in there if you want to turn some music on.." Zander said as he stood and watched her from across the room.  He couldn't believe that she was all his, and that she would be his forever.  Rick had added the final touches to the place before they got there.  Zander opened up the refrigerator and it was stocked full of food.  "So what do you want to eat..?" Zander said as he peered into the open refrigerator. " Looks like Rick stocked us up with plenty of everything. "Zander...I don't want anything to eat.." Emily said as she took his hand and he closed the door with the other. "Well, then what do you want..." he replied as a grin came over his face.  "Tonight..all I want is you.." she said as she removed her coat and threw it on the sofa behind her. "Well if that is all you want, then I am more then willing and able to help you out." he said as he pulled her close to him and wrapped his arms around her waist.

They stood looking into each others eyes just taking it all in, this was the place that the two of them will live...that is if she accepts his proposal...and he is so hoping that she will.  He was getting nervous now about asking her, he didn't know if he should..but he was always told to follow your heart, it would never steer you wrong.  Zander leaned down and kissed Emily with such passion, and all the feelings of the love they shared came rushing over them.  She knew she couldn't resist temptation, she needed him..even if it was for a few hours.  She had finals tomorrow but she didn't have to be in till 11am, so she could sleep in tomorrow morning.  She wondered if she could get away with using the same excuse as she did last week.  Lucky and Elizabeth had gone away for a few days, so she didn't think Elizabeth would mind to use her for an excuse again. "I gotta make a phone call.." Emily said as she broke the embrace they were in. "Your parents.." he replied as he thought this would be the last time for this dreaded call. "Yeah I gotta tell them that I probably won't be home tonight.." she said as she dialed the number on her cell.  "What are you gonna tell them this time.." he asked as he sat down on the sofa.  "The same thing I told them last time.." she replied as she waited for someone to pick up.  "They're gonna by it a second time?.." he said as he watched her.  "Let's hope so.." she replied.

"Reginald..it's me, Emily..are my parents home.."
"Oh their not..well do you know where they went?"
"You don't huh...well could you give them a message for me.."
"Could you just tell them that I am staying at Elizabeth's again tonight..she's helping me with those finals tomorrow.. thanks Reginald..bye.."

He wanted so bad to ask her, but he was waiting for the right moment. "So what do you want to do now.." he asked as he led her to the sofa.  "Well did Rick by chance stock your video collection too..." she said as she noticed a few video sitting on top of the VCR in the corner.  "Well I sure didn't so I guess it was Rick.." he said as he got up to get the movies.  "Let's see what do we have to watch.."Titanic"..always a good tear jerker.."Psycho.." a good horror..."Casablanca"..a good classic..."and last but not least.."Passenger 57" your action.."whatcha wanna watch?" Emily sat on the sofa and didn't here a word he said...she was watching him as he stood there in his tight black jeans and a silk button up dress shirt.  Since working with Sonny, he had got himself some nice clothes..she thought a little of Sonny was certainly rubbing off on him. "What...did you say something.." she asked as her mind came back to reality. "Well I wanted to know what you wanted to watch, but by the looks of it, you were watching me.." "Yeah I guess I was..sorry.." "No need to be sorry, cause I watch you all the time.."  She was so easy on the eyes, he couldn't resist looking at her.

"Come sit here next to me.." she said as she motioned for him to come sit by her on the sofa.  She snuggled up close to him as he sat down and made himself comfortable.  She wrapped her arms around his waist and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder, as she got even closer.  "Comfy.." he asked as she nuzzled up close.."Comfy.." she replied as she kicked off her shoes and pulled her legs up on the sofa.

She could snuggle with him for hours and feel so safe in his arms.  She knew that this was the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with.  "Emily..." Zander said as he lifted her head to look at him. "I was going to wait till later for your next surprise, but I can't wait any longer." as he moved to the side to give him room to go into his pocket for the diamond ring.  "Do I get three guesses as to what it is?" she asked as she saw him reach into his pocket.  "No, but I need to say something before I give it to you."  He turned to her and took a deep breath.  "Emily, you have given me life, you believed me when no one else would.  You have brightened everyday of my life for the past 8 months, and you have given me so much more then you will ever know.  I have never met anyone like you, you are strong, determined, generous and stubborn at times, but I love you with all my heart and soul." he said as he noticed a stray tear trickled down Emily's cheek.  "Zander, I feel the same way about you...You have brought so much to my life, I never thought I would feel this way about anyone.  And I will always love you...always." she replied as the moment neared for him to ask her.

He held the ring so tight in his hands, he was sure there were imprints of the gold setting in his palm.  He waited for this day for a long time and now was the moment of truth.

As he took the ring from his palm and placed it between his index finger and thumb, .."Emily..Will you do me the honour of becoming my wife?"  Shocked at those words, she was speechless.  Tears fell from her eyes onto her soft skin, and she was so moved by the question.  "Zander, I don't know what to say..." "Well you could say yes.." The tears of joy were evident and so were the fears.  Fears of living out their lives together.  "Yes, I will marry you!" she replied he placed the diamond on her left ring finger.  As she cried tears of joy, he leaned in closer to kiss her lips which were now touched with her tears.  He could see she was over joyed by all of this and was relieved that she said yes.  He was worried she would turn him down for many reasons.

Time stood still as they embraced each other and lost each other in their kiss.  It was a moment they would remember for the rest of their lives.
 
 

Chapter 4
***NC-17***

As the morning sun drifted across the floor of Zander's loft, he awoke by the sound of the buzzing that came from the alarm that sat on the night stand by the bed.  He reached with his free hand and turned it off, as he looked at the clock that read 6 am.  Still half asleep he glanced over and noticed the sleeping beauty that lay next to him.  He didn't want to wake her, as he leaned over and kissed her lightly on her lips.  She flinched just a bit as she felt his lips touch hers.  "Good morning beautiful" he said as she opened her eyes slightly.  The morning sun was brightly shining in through the windows of the loft and it took her some time for her to realize where she had been sleeping all night.  "Good morning, Zander..what time is it?" she asked as she pulled the covers over her bare legs.  "It's 6 o'clock...I gotta get ready for work, you know Sonny looks down at tardiness." Zander replied with a grin.  She watched him as he slipped from underneath the sheets, as he stood in the rays of the sunlight in only his boxers and she remembered what a romantic night they had together.  She lay naked underneath the silk sheets of the queen size bed and was just in au of his strong presence as he walked across the room to the kitchen area.  "Do you want to use the shower first, or shall I" Zander asked as he poured a glass of juice for himself and Emily.  "Why don't we pick up where we left off last night...your shower's big enough for two ain't it?"  Emily replied with a flirtatious tone.

Zander started walked back towards the bed where Emily lay waiting for him, he remembered the passion they shared last night after she said yes to his proposal.  It was a night neither of them would forget.  "So you think both of us could fit in that shower together.." he said with a devilish grin.  "Why don't you go in and start the shower..I'll be right in.." Emily said as she sat up in the bed, pulling the sheet up over her chest.  "Alright, but don't be long..." Zander replied as he gave her a wink.  She watched him as he made his way into the bathroom just a few feet from the bed.  She wanted so badly to make him happy, she wanted to be a good wife to him and a good mother to the children they would have.  She was so deeply in love with him, he was the air that she breathed, he was her life.

She sat and glared at the ring on her left ring finger for what seemed like hours, when she heard the phone ringing. "Zander, should I get that?...she yelled to him. She figured he didn't hear her since she heard the shower was still running.  As the phone rang now for the second time, she contemplated about picking it up.  No one could know that she was here, but wait the only person who knew about the loft was Sonny, so she quickly reached over his side of the bed and answered it.

"Hello..." she said as she held the receiver to her ear.  "Is Zander around..." the voice on the other end replied.  The voice sounded like Sonny but she wasn't quite sure.  "Sonny is that you calling this early.." Sonny didn't have a habit of getting up before 8 and it seemed odd that he would call Zander.  "Yeah, Emily..it's me..I was calling to see if you two might have some good cheer to spread around Port Charles this morning." Sonny replied with a little chuckle.  By the tone of his voice he knew all about last night, Zander must of asked for some man to man advice.  Zander trusted Sonny, he looked up to Sonny.  "Yyou knew about this all along...didn't you?...You knew Zander was going to propose last night?"  "Alright...ya got me!...Yeah I knew and I just wanted to express my congratulations to both of you."  "Well thank you, you have been so wonderful to both Zander and I, we don't know where we would be without you."  There was a short pause of silence on the other end of the conversation..  "Sonny, you still there..." she asked with a worried tone in her voice.  "Yeah, hon I'm still here..." he replied as she heard him speaking with someone else.  "Emily..tell Zander that he has the day off today...the two of you deserve the day to be together and enjoy each other for a little while."  "Thanks, I'll tell him...uh, Sonny.." "Yeah Emily..." he replied as she heard Zander come out of the bathroom.  "Thank you...for everything."  "You are so welcome, Emily...you take good care of him now, ya hear?"  "I will, and thank you again....bye" "Bye" Sonny replied as she hung up the receiver.

As she turned around, Zander came up behind her and laid beside her on the bed.  "Who was that on the phone?" he asked as she noticed all he was wearing was a plush blue towel...his skin still had water droplets streaming down his biceps.  "Oh, Sonny called and sent his congratulations..also to let you know that you have the day off today.." "What I got the day off?" he said as a smile came over his face.  "Hey I thought you were gonna join me in the shower..." "Well, I got tired of waiting so...." "Are you up for another one..." Emily replied as she slipped out from under the silk sheets.  Zander watched her as she walked in front him and moved so effortlessly across the hardwood floor towards the bathroom.  "Are you coming or am I going to have come over there and get you.." Emily said with a playful tone has she pointed to him with her index finger beckoning him to come.  "Well, sweetheart, you don't have to ask me twice..lead the way.." he replied as he dropped the towel as he walked towards her.  She couldn't help but to stare at his stone chiseled body as he drew near.  He noticed she was staring as he passed by her and walked into the bathroom.  She followed and closed the door behind her.

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Emily couldn't resist coming back to the loft after her late morning exams.  She felt like she finally had a place to call home.  She had been so excited about the engagement she couldn't resist the temptation of telling Elizabeth about it.  She had stopped off at Kelly's before going back to Zander so she could tell someone, she had to tell Elizabeth, they were best friends, besides she was about to burst if didn't.  Elizabeth couldn't be more happier with the news about the engagement, and Emily had told her not to mention it to anyone.  Her and Zander wanted to tell her parents, and she didn't want them hearing about this from someone else.

Emily made her way back to Zander's loft and climbed the back stairs to the door.  She noticed a note taped to the door from Sonny.  She wondered then if Zander was even home, cause why would Sonny just leave a note, unless no one was home.  She knocked on the door and waited for Zander to answer.  It took him a few minutes to respond to her knocking, but his face was just what she needed to see.  The final exams were torture and she certainly had a lot on her mind.  She needed an escape from the world that lied outside the door.

"So, how did the exams go?.." Zander asked as she threw her back pack on the chair.  "Fine..they went fine." she replied as she sat down on the sofa.  "Here this was taped to the door, it looks like it's from Sonny.." she said as Zander read the note and stuffed into his pocket. Emily didn't want to ask about the note, if he wanted her to know, he'd tell her what it was about.  "So what do want to do?" she asked as sat down beside her.  "Well, I was hoping we could talk about things.." "Things, like what?" "Like the engagement ring you have on your finger..." "Oh, yeah that?" she said as he turned to face her.  "Now, Emily you understand that I gave you the ring to show you how committed I am to you and that our love will forever bond us. But I'm not asking that you marry me tomorrow, we can wait...that is if you wanna wait? " "Zander, it's okay...really." "No it's not okay, Emily...you have plans for a future, like college and a career..I don't want to take that away from you." "You won't be...and I don't want to wait to become your wife." she replied as she reached up and brushed her hand across his 5 o'clock shadow.  "First thing we have to do is tell your parents.." Zander said as just thought of it was giving him nightmares.  "I know, I guess we have to do soon because they are sure to find out from someone..and I would rather us tell them." she said as he placed his hand on her thigh.

"Well I guess now would be a good time as any to tell them, so I guess I 'll call them." She said as she reached for her cell phone in her backpack.  She flipped open her cell and dialed the number.  She was really dreading the fact of telling her parents that she and Zander were engaged.  They were going to flip over this news...especially grandfather.  There certainly was no love lost between he and Zander.  But this is what she wanted, they would have to accept it.

The phone only rang twice before someone picked up at the Quartermaine mansion. "Quartermaine residence..." the voice said.  "Reginald, it's Emily...are my parents home?" she said as her eyes gazed at Zander.  "Yes Emily their in the living room..do want to speak with one of them?" Reginald replied as Emily thought of what to say. "No Reginald, just tell them that I will be home in a few minutes...and make sure they are both home, because I..we would like to talk to them about something." she replied.  "Alright Emily, I'll let them know."  "Thanks Reginald....see you in a few...bye"  she said as she flipped the phone closed and laid it on the coffee table in front of her.

"So, are you ready to do this.." Emily said as she got up from the sofa. "No, not really, but they need to be told and we should be the ones to tell them." Zander said as Emily reached for his hand.  "We are going to be fine, don't worry...everything is gonna work out..I promise."  She had promised many things before and all had worked out, so he had no reason not to believe she would keep this one.

Emily knew her parents would not be happy about this decision, she hadn't turned 18 yet, and she knew that her parents would forbid this marriage from taking place.  Her mind was racing as she and Zander made their way to the Quartermaine mansion, dreading every minute of the way.  Emily really hadn't seen a problem with what happened between her and Zander over the last 8 months.  He was working for Sonny and now had his own place, he was turning his life around.  But her parents didn't see it that way, all they saw was a criminal who now worked for a major crime boss and who would never change.  She had been so furious with them for how they sent her to California, she hadn't forgiven them for that, but she was willing to stay in the house for grandmother. Emily knew that grandmother would be so upset if she left the house for good.  She was just hoping this wouldn't turn into an all out fight with the family.  She was so happy that she soon would be Zander's wife, she didn't want to have this situation turn ugly.

As Zander and Emily pulled into the long drive that lead up to the main house, both had taken a deep breath.  "Are you sure you want to do this.." Zander asked as he placed his hand on the back of Emily's head and ran his fingers through her soft auburn hair.  "Yeah, we have to tell them. They would be more upset if we kept this from them." she replied as she turned her head and looked at him.  They pulled up in front of the mansion and Zander turned off the engine of the car.  They sat a few moments before Zander opened the car door and got out.  He walked behind the car and opened the Emily's door.  She sat for a few seconds collecting her thoughts before she stepped out.  As Zander took her hand, Emily closed the car door and they walked hand and hand to the front door.  "Well we made it this far, there is no turning back now.." she replied as her grip of Zander's hand grew tighter.  "We could always make a run for it and come back tomorrow.." he chuckled.  "No, there is nothing to be afraid of, we are just going to tell my parents that we are getting married, that's it." she said as she turned to him.  "You do realize what you just said, because that was a scary thought."..."What marriage?"..."No telling your parents.." Zander said as he leaned down to kiss her.  The two stood on the stoop of the Quartermaine mansion for a few moments embraced.  "Here we go..." Emily said as she opened the door.

Zander and Emily stepped into the foyer, as Reginald came down the spiral staircase. "The family is in the living room, Emily"..Reginald said as he gave Zander a grin.  "Thanks Reginald".  Zander and Emily followed Reginald as they made their way to where the family had been gathered.  As Zander and Emily walked into the room, it fell silent.  "Emily...what's he doing here?"...Alan said as Edward rose from the chair.  "I want him out of this house, now!" Edward said in a raised voice.  Emily felt the her stomach tightened and her heart race.  Zander wrapped his arm around her as if to protect her from Edwards glares.  "He is not leaving, and we need to discuss some things, that is why we are here.." "Emily what were you thinking by bringing him into this house?" Monica replied from across the room.  Zander and Emily stood in front of the fireplace where Lila was sitting in her chair.  "Good afternoon grandmother.." Emily said as she leaned down to kiss her cheek.  "Good afternoon dear, so nice of you two to stop by.." she said as Edward clinched up when she reached for Zander's hand.  "Don't you dare.." Edward said as Zander glared back at him.  "Edward would sit down..Emily and Zander are here for a reason, and I would like to know what that reason is.." Monica said as she walked towards them.

The room was filled with tension, Zander and Emily sat down slowly on the sofa.  Still holding hands so tightly and hoping they would not regret telling her family about their engagement.  Emily glanced down at her hand noticing she was wearing the diamond that Zander had given her last night, hoping that no one had noticed it yet.  "Well, Zander and I came to talk to you about this.." she said as she raised her left hand to show them the diamond.  "Emily you can't be serious..." Alan said as he took her hand in his and stared at the .5 carat on her finger.  "Oh, but we are.." she replied as she pulled back.  "Emily..you are just a child..you can't get married and to this criminal, we won't allow it." Edward said as he couldn't hold his anger in any longer.  Zander sat next to Emily trying so hard to hold back his temper that was flaring at the moment.  Emily could see that he was about to explode his anger with the family, and she tightened her grip on his hand as a sign for him not to.

Zander could see that this conversation was about to turn into a drag out fight with her family.  He tried to hold back, but he could no longer.  It had gotten way to intense for him not to.  "Look, if I told you one time I have told you a hundred..Emily and I love each other, and there is nothing the family can do to change that." Zander said as he stood up and he released his hand from Emily's.  "Em..I'm sorry but I can't let them do this to us.." he said as he turned to Emily and brushed her face with his hand.  " I have made some huge mistakes in my life, and one was getting involved with Sorel.  When I met Emily 8 months ago, I knew there was something special about her.  She believed in me when no one else would, she stood by me when everyone turned their backs...she loved me for me."...Zander said forcefully.  "You never would of met her if you hadn't kidnapped her at gun point!" Edward bellowed as only Edward knew how.  "Grandfather, please!" Emily spoke up.."Could we not dwell on the past?..Zander has turned his life around.." "And I did that because of Emily.." The family sat in awe of what they were hearing.  They couldn't believe that these two were planning on getting married.  They only wanted the best for Emily and this was not what they had planned.  "What about college?..." Monica said as she sipped her afternoon tea. "What about it?...." Emily responded as the teenage attitude came forth.  "I thought you wanted to go to college..how are you going to do that if you are married.." "Mom, I can still go to college and be married to Zander."

"Look, Emily and I came here to tell you in person, because she didn't want you hearing it from anyone else." Zander replied as he reached for Emily's hand.  "Well, how many people know..when did this happen?" Alan said. "The only people that know is Sonny and now you guys....and Zander asked me last night." "And I suppose you spent the night...where?" Monica replied as she noticed them holding hands so tightly. "Zander got his own place, he's not living at Alexis anymore." "I'm sure Sonny Corinthos made sure Zander is well cared for.." Edward replied in disgust.  "Grandfather..Zander pays rent and he is working.." "Yeah for Sonny Corinthos.."  "Look, I have done everything to try to change my life...and yeah I do work for Sonny..at the warehouse running forklift for 40 hours a week...and yes Sonny has provided  a place for me to stay, because it seemed that I was over staying my welcome with Alexis." Zander said as he noticed the famliy was really not buying what he and Emily were selling at this point.  They had their minds made up and were not going to change.  "May I point out that Emily is not 18 and would need our permission to get married.." Monica said as her and Alan stood watching as Emily and Zander drew each other closer.  "Yes, I know that..that is why I had told Emily we would wait....I didn't want to take away her dreams of college and a career.." "Well how noble of you..Zander." Edward said sarcastically.  "You know, my patience has grown very thin and I am trying so hard to hold back my anger for Emily's sake...but I have to say that this family certainly does not understand or know anything about her.."   Zander had become furious with the family and Emily knew that she needed to get him out of there before things would escalate.  Emily nudged him in the ribs.  "I certainly do understand why you were concerned about Emily and her being with me, because believe me so was I...I had even told her that she needed to stay away from me because of the danger." "Yeah I'm sure you did.."Edward said under his breath.  "He did, grandfather..but I wouldn't have that.  I was not going to let him in jail when I knew he was innocent."  "I know you are worried about her safety because of her association with me, and I know that you are concerned out of love for her.." "That's right, we love her and we only want to keep her safe." Monica replied.  "Well damn it so do I!" Zander said forcefully.  "I love Emily and I would not let anything happen to her.  I will protect her now...we will be married and she will become my wife, with or without your blessing."  The room grew silent as the family couldn't believe what they just heard.  They were defying the family yet again.  "I mean no disrespect to the family, but Emily and I have decided to get married, and I am sorry for what I have done to this family, but I love her and she loves me. And there is nothing, and I mean nothing that will every come between us.

The family still astonished at what had taken place in their living room.  The family had lost Emily some time ago to Zander, but they never thought that these two would get married of all things.

"Now out of courtesy to the family, Emily and I came here to tell you in person about the engagement.  And since we have now done that, I think it is time for me to take Emily home."..Zander said as he wrapped his arm around her waist.  "Emily, what do you have to say about this, dear.." Lila said as she sat quietly in her wheel chair.  "Grandmother, I want to be Zander's wife. I love him and I know he loves me." "Well, then dear, nothing should stand in the way of love...you have my blessing.." Lila said as she reached for Emily's hand.  "Thank you grandmother..." Emily said as she kissed Lila's cheek.  "Thank you Mrs. Quartermaine.." Zander said as he leaned forward to look at her.  "You're most welcome dear...and I expect you to take care of my granddaughter..." "Oh, I will you can count on that...I'll protect her with my life."  Zander said with a smile.

"Well you won't get a blessing from me.." Edward snapped back at Lila's offer. "Edward..shut up." Lila said as Zander and Emily stood next to her.  "Mom..Dad..aren't you going to say something.." "Yes, Monica and Alan, aren't you going to send her to her room or something.." Edward said as he turned to face Em's parents.  "Oh, father put a sock in it.." Alan replied as Zander got a smirk on his face.

Alan walked across the room toward Emily as Zander stiffened all the muscles in his body.  "Emily, we love you and we want only what is best for you.." Alan said as he took her hand in his. "I know Dad and I love you too, but I also love Zander. And I want to spend the rest of my life with him." Emily said as she tightened her grip on Zander's hand she was still holding.  "Emily look,  it's not that we don't want you to be happy, cause we do...but.." "But what Mom...the two of you have made decisions for me since I was 11 years old.  It is high time I start making my own choices. And I have made my choice to become Zander's wife..now with that said...we are going up to my room and pack a few things. I will ask Reginald to pack the rest and bring it over to the loft." Emily said as she and Zander turned away to walk out of the room.  "You will no such thing..young lady!" her father said in a harsh tone. "You watch me!" She snapped as her and Zander walked hand and hand out of the living room.  Alan and Monica followed them as they entered in the foyer.  "Emily!...don't you dare head up those stairs!" Alan bellowed as his words echoed throughout the open foyer.  "Or what? What are you going to do?..Emily said as she started up the spiral staircase Zander following her lead.  "Let her go Alan...face it..we have lost her, for good this time." Monica said as she grabbed onto his arm.  "But Monica we can't let her leave this house with that criminal!"  "Alan what are we going to do to stop her, huh?...they are engaged to be married and will be married within the month. Zander works the major crime boss in the Port Charles..do you really think that Sonny will not protect them with everything he has?"  "You're right, I don't like it..and I don't have to accept it, but I do love Emily.."

Zander and Emily made there way up the stairs and headed for Emily's bedroom.  As they stood outside the door of the bed room, Zander took Emily in his arms and embraced her.  She needed that so much, the family really had her shaken up, Zander could feel her trembling in his arms.  He pulled her closer and tried to comfort the best way he knew how.  Zander looked down at her face and wiped the tears that were now falling from her brown eyes.  He thought she held it together pretty well while conversing with the family, but now she had to release what she had held back.  They stood at the banister above the foyer and could feel the stares from the family below.  Zander knew that this was tearing Emily apart, and had to say something to the family about what this has done to her.  Zander turned to face the family who stood below in the foyer and before he could speak his mind, Emily stopped him. "Zander don't...there is no need to drag this on..I just want to pack a few things and go home." Emily said as a stray tear trickled down her cheek.  He knew she was right, and took her hand as they turned and walked into the bed room.

The family waiting down below to ambush them as they came down the stairs.  Emily feeling like she had no choice, she had to do this, she had to show them that she was in charge of her own life.  She was making her own decisions, even thought is was tearing her up inside to do this to the family she loved and adored.  Zander started down the stairs with the tweed suitcases in hand, Emily followed carrying her matching duffle bag.  "Emily, please reconsider.." Monica said as she stood by Alan, her eyes filled with tears.  "Mom, I have to do this...I just have to. " Emily said has she embraced her mother, as Zander walked towards the door.  "Just know that I love you and I never meant to hurt either of you.." Emily replied as she then hugged Alan.  He trying so hard not to do anything to provoke Zander or the situation that was unfolding.  Emily held both of them so tightly, but she knew that this was the right thing to do.  "Emily, we should be going..." Zander said as he stood with her suitcases still in his hands.  Alan clinched his jaw as Emily left go and walked towards Zander.  "Your right we should get going..." She replied as she reached to open the door.  "Emily....." her mother cried out.  Emily ignored the cries from her mother and walked out the door of the mansion, Zander followed and closed the door.

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Emily didn't say a word the whole way home back to Zander's loft, and he didn't push her to talk about it.  Emily so distraught over what had happened with her family, once home she layed on the bed and sobbed.  Zander knew that she need him now more then ever.  Zander walked silently over to the bed and laid down beside her.  She nuzzled up against him and he wrapped his arms around her waist.  "It's going to be alright, Emily..." "I know, but why do they have to be this way.  Why can't they just accept this is who I am and this is what I want."  "I don't know sweetheart...I just don't know."  Zander noticed that the sun was setting and it would be dark soon.  He waited till Emily drifted off to sleep, then he slowly got up and closed the curtains and double checked the door to make sure it was locked.  He wanted her to feel safe and secure in her new home.  He went to the kitchen and got himself a drink from the refrigerator, then sat on the sofa making sure he was facing the bed in case she awoke.  He loved to watch her sleep so peacefully, but he knew this night she would be restless.  He sat and watched her for an hour or so nursing the bottle of soda he had.

After a little while, the phone rang.  He quickly jumped up off the sofa and grabbed the phone before it would wake her up.  "Hello.." Zander said softly.  "Zander, it's Jason...." the voice replied on the other end.  "What can I do for you, Jason..." Zander said keeping his eye on Emily.  "Is Emily there?..." "Yeah she is but she's sleeping...can I..uh..take a message.." Zander replied as he reached for a pen.  "Zander is there anything wrong..." Jason said seemingly concerned.  "Well, yes and no..." "What do you mean by that?"  "Well, I guess I can tell you...I asked Emily to marry me last night..and we decided to tell her parents this afternoon...well to say the least it did not go well." Zander said as he pulled out one of the kitchen chairs and sat down.  He thought to himself this phone call might take a while.  "Tell me details, Zander...from beginning to end..." Jason said as the tone in voice tensed.  "Okay, well last night Sonny offered me the loft above the warehouse and I was already planning on asking Emily to marry me, so I planned a special night for us.  She stayed the night and we discussed things this morning about the engagement..things were going so well till Emily said we should go over to the Q's and let them know about getting married."  "Well, there was your mistake.." Jason said.  "Yeah no kidding..."  "I bet they were not happy about this news.." "You got that right, they have Emily pretty shaken up."  There was silence on the other end of the phone.  "Jas, are you still there?.." Zander asked as a concerned look came over his face.  "Yeah man, I 'm still here.."
"So Emily and I packed a few of her things and brought them back to the loft..her parents were not happy about that and spoke their mind about her leaving with me...Emily pretty much told them to go to hell in a hand basket." "I can imagine, Emily is pretty stubborn and she is so damn determined."  "Yes she is...and now she has pretty much alienated herself from the Quartermaines, and now all she really has is me." Zander replied as Emily rustled around on the bed only a few feet away.  "Zander, would you please tell Emily that I will be home in a few days...I'll stop by and see her then the 3 of us can talk about this and the Quartermaines."  "Yeah sure I'll tell her...we'll see you in a few days." "Thanks Zander..oh and congrats on the engagement." Jason replied.  "That really means alot coming from you..I'm sure Emily will appreciate it.." "Okay I'll catcha's in a few days.." "Okay..c-ya.." Zander said as he hung up the phone.

He walked slowly across the hardwood floor towards the bedroom area.  Emily was sleeping peacefully, well at least he thought she was.  "Who was on the phone.." Emily asked still half asleep.  "Oh that was Jason, he's gonna come by and see you in a few days." Zander replied as he laid down next to her.  "Hon, what time is it..how long was I sleeping.." She asked as she nuzzled up against him.  "It's a little after 7, and you were resting a little over an hour..why?"  "Just wondering.." she softly whispered as she drifted back to sleep.  Zander knew she needed her rest, and that she had been through alot today. But how much worse could it get, her family was so angry with her for making the choice she made, and angry with him for taking her away from them.  He wrapped his arms around her to comfort her as she slept.

He couldn't fall asleep, he had so many things running through his mind.  He laid with her for what seemed like hours, when she finally turned to him and said "Zander..have I told you today that I love you.."  Surprised that she had awoke, he looked down at her and replied..."You just did.."  And as a smile came over her face he knew that things were going to be alright.  He brushed her hair away from her face with his hand and leaned down to kiss her softly on her lips.  She raised her head for her mouth to meet his, a warm and tender kiss was what she expected, but she got so much more.  His kiss was soft and sensual, and they had longed so much to be together, it was like their first time.  Emily slowly moved her hands around his waist and started to remove his black tee shirt, she wanted him so badly...she needed him tonight.  As she slid his black tee up across his chest, Zander started to unbutton her red blouse.  She pulled the tee up over his head as he unbuttoned the last button.  He slipped the blouse over her shoulder and kiss her tenderly, he removed the blouse to reveal the satin bra she wore.  He slowly slid one of the straps down off her shoulder, and then the other..as Emily ran her hands through his hair and drew him closer.  Her mouth found his once again as the kiss became intense and sensual.  She started to slowly move her hand down below his abdomen and tried to unbutton his jeans.  Zander released the kiss and laid on his back as Emily straddled him and hovered over as her deep auburn hair tickled his nose.  She then unbutton his jeans and slid them down his thighs and revealed a pair of silk boxers.  He took his hands and cupped her face.."I love you, Emily..." "I love you too...Zander..make love to me.."  With that said, he proceeded to passionately kiss her like there was no tomorrow.  He started to remove the khakis she was wearing and slid them down over her legs, as he did this, his hand touched her soft skin on her inner thigh. He felt her tremble as his hand moved upward closer to her moistened flesh and her legs fell open without any resistance to his warm hand.  She closed her eyes and felt the sensations of having him please her so.  All she wanted was more.  He knew she was enjoying the sensual glide of his fingers inside her body by the way she moved in rhythm.  He kissed her soft skin around her abdomen, which in turn gave her more pleasure.  She moaned softly as his mouth found her breast and then her nipple.  Zander knew that she was his for the taking, but he wanted to please her even more.  With his finger still inside her, he quickened the pace and found the spot that took her into ecstasy.  He cupped his free hand around her breast and aroused her nipple, while she lay there enjoying every bit of contact from him.  He knew she was about to release, so he removed his finger from her and slid his hand along her side and straddled her.  Her legs wrapped around him so tightly as he leaned over her, he slowly penetrated as she left out a soft moan.  "Are you okay..." he whispered to her.  "I'm..uh fine...it feels so good.." she replied as her arms wrapped around his waist.  As he moved inside her, he felt her muscles contract around his hardened flesh.  They started to move in a rhythm as her fingers stiffened and her nails dug into his back.  He intensified and deepened his thrusting motion as she called out his name.  Her legs stiffened around him as she reached her peak.  He slowed down as he cupped one of her breasts and started to arouse the nipple once again.  "Oh, don't stop...Zander.." she whispered...and he started suckling on the nipple that was now erect.  He noticed that it took her to another level of pleasure as he did so.  She at this moment was enjoying his soft caresses and his hands roaming her naked body.  He shift his hips and started his thrusting motion once again.  He intensified his motion and leaned down as his mouth met hers in a kiss that deepened with every thrust of motion.  He released the kiss and arched his back as he ejaculated inside her.  Once he released, her legs loosened around him and he was left breathless.  "Are you alright.." she asked as he lay atop of her trying to catch his breath.  "Uh, hyeah..I'm fine...you were amazing" he said as he kissed her lightly.  "No you were incredible..." she replied as he slid his body off of her and laid down on his back beside her.  She moved closer to him and laid her head on his chest.  He wrapped his arm around her and brushed her hair away from her face.  Their bodies lay intertwined underneath the silk sheets.  Both were exhausted from the pleasureable experience that just occurred, Emily closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep, while Zander lay awake keeping watch.  He watched Emily for a few hours before he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

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A few days had past since the big arguement with the Quartermaines, and Emily seemed to be getting better as the days passed.  Her finals were over and now she needed to find a job.  She never needed a job, she always had her mother and father to supply her with money...but since the big blow up at the house 3 days ago, she didn't think it wise to call the house.

Zander had gone to work that morning before 6am, and Emily was left to fend for herself till 5 that night.  She made a few phone calls and found a few business who were hiring.  So, she got her coat, along with her keys to the loft that Zander had gotten made for her and headed out.  She wasn't half way to Kelly's to see Elizabeth when her cell phone rang.  She stopped and sat on the wooden bench on the dock and rustled through her bag to find her phone.  She flipped open her cell and said "Hello".  "Emily,...." the voice said on the other end.  "Jason..is that you?" she replied as a smile came over her face.  "Yeah, Em...it's me.." "Where are you calling from?" Emily replied.  There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone.  As Emily sat on the wooden bench listening for him to respond, Jason peeked around the corner at the top of the stairs.  "Where am I calling from?...hmmm..look behind you Em.." he said as he saw her turn around and look at him.  She smiled from ear to ear as he came down the stairs to greet him.  She was so elated to see him, she jumped into his arms.  "It is so nice to see you, Jason.." she said as she hugged him tightly.  "Yeah it's nice to see you too...Mrs. Smith."  he replied with a grin.  "Nah, not yet but soon.." she replied with a smile.  "How long are you sticking around this time?" Emily asked as they sat down on the bench.  "Well, I don't really know...when's the wedding?" he asked.  Emily not really knowing what to say, said "As soon as I turn 18.." "Alan and Monica having a pervibal fit yet?"..."Long past fit..there Jas..totally hit the roof when Zander and I told them." "I cannot blame them for reacting this way...can you?"  "No I can't but they could give him a chance.." "What like they gave me one?" Jason said as he heard someone come up from behind.  Zander came walking along the docks, which surprised Emily since he was supposed to be at work. "Hey, Jason.." Zander said as he came upon them sitting on the bench.  "How ya doin'?" He asked as Jason stood up to shake hands with him.  "Not bad, yourself?"..."Fine now..." Zander replied as he embraced Emily.  "What are doing down here?...I thought you were at work.." she said as she smiled at him.  "I am...I'm coming back from lunch...what are doing down here?"  "Well I was on my way to Kelly's when I bumped into Jason...who was more then likely on his way to the loft for a visit."  "Hey, Jas...why don't you come up for supper tonight...Em's cooking.." Zander said as he grinned over the fact that Emily Quartermaine was cooking dinner.  "I got some things to take care of, but I'll stop up later...thanks for the invite though, maybe we can get together at Jake's or something."  "Well, stop up when you get a chance....I'll be home after 6.." Zander said as he kissed Emily lightly on her cheek. "I gotta get back to work..I'll see you at home tonight.." he said as glanced at Emily.  "Okay, I'll see you later..."

It was so nice that Jason and Zander got along, she didn't think she could bear it if her brother didn't get along with her soon to be husband.  I guess Jason knows better than anyone else how the family is and he wants her to be happy.  Emily and Jason sat quite a while just catching up on the goings on since he had been gone.  A lot had happened in the 3 weeks he was out of town and it was nice to sit and talk to him about things she couldn't talk to anyone else about.  She didn't want to worry Zander about family stuff and Jason understood where she was coming from when it came down to Alan and Monica.  "How's Grandmother?.." he asked.  "She's fine, but she is upset with Grandfather over this whole situation with me and Zander."  Emily replied.  She was a little surprised that he asked about Grandmother, but he had always been fond of her and the feeling was mutual.  Jason looked down at his watch, and noticed he had a meeting to get to, Emily of course knew better then not to ask what, where and with whom.  So they said their good byes and she reminded him about stopping over later.

Jason headed down the dock while Emily headed up the stairs towards Kelly's.  Emily stood outside of Kelly's and peered through the window taking notice of who was sitting at the tables.  She noticed that Elizabeth was working today, and decided to go in and visit with her.  As she reached for the door to push it open, the door opened on its own.  She turned around and saw AJ holding the door open for her.  "Can we talk.." AJ asked as she stepped through.  "Yeah sure....let's sit.." Emily replied as she took off her coat and sat at the closest table.  "So, I hear you are engaged...." AJ said as he noticed the diamond on her finger.  "Mom and Dad told you, didn't they..."  she replied as AJ took her hand to look more closely at the ring she wore.  "Actually, Grandmother told me...she is happy for you Em.."  "Yeah I know..she seems to be the only one.."

They sat talking for a few more minutes when Elizabeth came over to the table asked if they wanted to order anything.  Emily was starved, she hadn't eaten anything yet that day and she knew she wouldn't get anything till later that night.  Elizabeth took their order and left the table so they could talk in private.  "Em...look I know that you care for Zander....but getting married...why?"  "AJ..I love him and he makes me happy.." she replied as she noticed Lucky and Nicolas walked in.  "I will support you in whatever you decide to do, but just know that the family wants only what is best for you." he replied as he noticed Emily was glancing over towards the counter where her friends were sitting.  "Go...go be with your friends.."  "Thanks AJ..and tell Grandmother I said hello.."  "Sure I'll tell her..."  Emily got up from the table and walked over to the counter to meet up with her friends.

Lucky and Nicolas were surprised to see her, she hadn't been around much lately.  She told them about Zander living at the loft and that he had proposed a few days ago.  They were very supportive which surprised her, because of their past behavior when they had been around him.  Emily told them about the big fight she had with her family about the engagement and that she moved out and is now living with Zander.  Emily also explained to her friends that she was now looking for a job.  Nicolas suggested that she talk to Ned, there could be a job for her as a singer, she had done so well with the duet she recorded with Juan.  Singing wasn't something that interested her, but maybe Elizabeth could get her in at Deception.  She had done modeling before and really loved the work.  Emily and Elizabeth discussed plans for them to meet so they could go over to Deception together.  Elizabeth had the day off tomorrow, and Emily couldn't wait...so they decided to go tomorrow afternoon.  Emily looked at her watch and noticed it was getting late.  Zander would be home soon and she should be there when he got off of work.  So she said her good byes to her friends and gathered her things as she headed out the door.

It was a short walk from Kelly's to Zander's loft, so she should beat him home.  As she got to the bottom of the stairs that led up to the apartment, she searched her bag for her keys.  She climbed the stairs and unlocked the door and as she stepped inside she noticed that something was wrong.  She couldn't put her finger on it, but somehow things were different.  She suddenly became afraid knowing of Zander's connection to Sonny, they were always in danger of retaliation from anyone who had business dealings with him.  She felt along the wall for the light switch and flicked on the light in the kitchen.  Still a afraid of what maybe lurking in the other parts of the loft she wasn't taking any chances.  She slowly walked into the kitchen and grabbed the baseball bat that Zander had stashed along side of the refrigerator.  As she turned around with the bat, the light from a lamp in the living room came on which startled her.  Her heart beating faster and pounding within her chest, she could barely see who was sitting on the chair.  Zander had put in a low wattage light bulb in the lamp, so the light was dim in that part of the loft.  "Who's there...answer me damn it!"  Emily said as she gripped the bat in her hand.  She noticed a figure stand up from the chair and walk toward her.  Now she was even more afraid then she was before, not knowing who it was frightened her beyond belief.  The figure of a man had finally stepped into the light for her to see who it was.

Chapter 5
 

It had been six months since the attack, and Emily had not fully recovered.  Zander couldn't believe that Sorel would send one of his goons to invade his home and attack his fiancee.  He had come home from work that night and discovered Emily lying on the floor of the loft, her body lay lifeless.  He rushed her to General Hospital where she was admitted and doctors worked feverishly to keep her alive.  She was badly bruised,  and countless internal injuries from the intruders hand.  Emily had spent a few days in ICU and another week in a private room.  Her parents visited with her everyday and Zander sat by her bedside night and day.  Sonny had arranged for extra protection at the hospital and at the loft.  He knew this was a continuation of Sorel's plan to take him down.  While Zander and Emily were trying so hard to work passed his past regrets, and now Sorel pulled them back in.  They didn't think Sorel would try this again, he was just making his presense known to Sonny and Zander, and this certainly did the job.  Sorel had put the fear back in Zander and Emily even from a prison cell.

Emily's parents were concerned more than ever now that this had happened to their daughter and they were even more angry with Zander for putting her in danger.  And as if the attack wasn't enough, Zander started taking on more and more responsibilities for Sonny.  Her parents had induced an arguement with him in the hallway of the hospital the night Emily was admitted to the ICU.  He certainly knew and understood their concerns about the relationship between him and their daughter, this was not the time to have an all out drag out family fight.  Zander was more concerned and worried about Emily.

Sonny had really taken Zander under his wing and was preparing him for a higher position in the organization.  Emily of course was very worried and afraid at what this new position would bring into their lives as well as for their safety.  Zander had been doing his best to protect her from Sorel, but after the attack that night, he was feeling guilty once again that he had let this happen to her.  He should of been there, he should of known something like this was bound to happen.  Sonny had tried his damndest to reassure Zander that the attack was not his fault, and that Sorel was going to pay the price dearly.  Zander knew what Sonny had said he meant and he was not taking this attack lightly.  Zander was trying his best to reassure his soon to be wife that he and Sonny would make sure Sorel paid with his life.

Zander had decided to let Emily sleep in this morning, he had drawn the curtains shut so she wouldn't be disturbed by the morning sun that had risen over the bay.  Emily was still having nightmares a few times a week, but it had gotten better over the last month or two, there for a while she had been having them every night, once or twice a night. She would wake up in the middle of the night very afraid of what she had awoke from.  She was not sleeping well at all, and Zander was trying to be there for her knowing how the nightmares frightened her so.  He had made an appointment for her with Kevin Collins who was on staff at the hospital, she reluctantly went to see him.  Kevin had prescribed a sedative for her so she could sleep through the night.  They had been working on many issues but the attack had taken priority.  Emily needed someone to talk to, and though reluctant at first to keep the appointment, she soon became comfortable with the sessions.  Alan and Monica had become a part of her life once again at the request of Kevin.  All three had been having sessions together for a few weeks now and Kevin had thought it best for them to work through their issues first before asking Zander to join them.  Having Emily was the most important part of his life, and if this would help her resolve issues with the family, the attack and their relationship, he was more than willing to work with Kevin and her parents.

Zander was getting more involved with the organization, which also brought fear issues into their relationship.  Sonny had asked him to take on more responsibilities at the warehouse, and to work with Jason on a few business matters.  Zander sat at the kitchen table since the early morning hours working on coffee orders for the week.  He couldn't believe all the paperwork that came along with his new position, and he had been working night and day for the past 2 months.  As Zander took another sip from his coffee cup, there was a knock on the door.  Rick opened the door as he got up from the table.  "Zander we need to talk.." Alexis said as she came into the apartment.  Glancing over towards the bed to see if Emily was still sleeping, Alexis noticed her laying there so peaceful like.  "Sorry, didn't know she would be still asleep....I'll come back at a better time. " Alexis said as Zander sat down again at the table in the kitchen.  "No, don't go Alexis, we can talk here at the table. He said as he moved the paper work so she could sit.  What's on your mind?"   "I wanted to update you on the Sorel situation.." she said as she opened up her satchel.  According to documents Sorel signed when he confessed, there were a few little things I wanted to clear up before I closed this case."  Zander couldn't believe it had been almost a year since Sorel confessed to having Ted Wilson murdered,  and there was still a few loose ends to be tied up.  "Like what...he asked as he looked over the paperwork Alexis handed him.  These look to be in order..."  "Are you sure, there isn't anything that maybe he forgot to tell us or that you can remember about that night in the motel room.  Zander we need to be sure, so look over it carefully."  "No, Alexis there is nothing more that I can add to this." Zander replied as he handed back the documents.  "Okay then, I guess this is case is finally closed... she said as she closed up her satchel.  How are you guys doing? " "Well, besides the fact that Emily is still having nightmares about the attack and worrying about me working for Sonny, everything is just peachy." he said with an attitude.  "Well, Sonny will make sure nothing happens to you two.  You know he protects his own and the ones he loves, and I believe that you two qualify in that department." She said as she got up from her seat. "I'm sure everything will be fine now, I'm just worried about Emily.  She has been through so much over the last 12 months, and I just want to be there for her." Zander said as he looked over at her lying so peaceful in the bed across the room.  "Well, I gotta get going, I got an appointment at the PCPD with Dara, so we can close this case.  And before I forget to tell you, there is still no proof that Sorel had anything to do with the attack on Emily.  I was hoping to have better news for you, Zander." Alexis said as Zander opened the door for her.  "I expected as much.  Sorel has gotten away with so much, I'm just glad that I was able to help put him away for killing the undercover cop.  I'm sure Sonny will take care of Sorel and his organization in due time, Alexis...in due time." Zander said as she walked out the door and turned to face him again. "Rick would you walk Ms. Davis down to her car." he said as he heard Emily calling from inside the apartment.  As Rick and Alexis started down the stairs, Zander closed the door and quickly ran to Emily's side.

As he embraced her, he noticed that she was trembling and very shaken about something.  Trying to console and comfort her with the touch of his hand, he noticed her eyes were filling up with tears.  He wiped the tears from her cheek as he looked deep into her brown eyes.  Without saying a word, he had calmed her down yet again from the nightmares that haunt her so.  As he watched her drift back to sleep, he couldn't help but think how much both of them have endured over the last year.  It was no wonder she had these nightmares and the fear of Sorel.  Once he thought she had finally fallen asleep,  he quietly got up from the bed and started to walk towards where he was working in the kitchen.  "Zander..." she softly said as she felt him leave her side. Don't leave me..."  "Oh, honey..I'm not gonna leave you...never." He said as he rushed back to her.  "Could you lay with me a while.." she said as she moved over so he could lay down beside her.  Zander did as she asked and went to lay down with her.  Lying face to face, he took her in his arms and held her so close and Emily wrapped her arms around his waist and layed her head softly on his chest.  She knew that everything would be okay now..Zander was here and he would make everything alright....he always did.

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After Alexis left the loft, she drove down to the PCPD for her meeting with Dara.  Everything had been going as she had hoped..for all who were involved.  She couldn't help but think how this case against Sorel had such reprecussions for so many people, including herself.  It was because of this case that she and Ned had split up, and it put such a wedge between him and the Quartermaines.  They never understand why she had to defend criminals like Sonny Corinthos and Zander Smith, and why she associated with the darker side of Port Charles.  She had discussed the reasons till she was blue in the face with Ned, and there was no compromising this time.  It had been three months since the break up and the last she had heard Ned was on tour with the band.  She missed him terribly but she knew that this time he was gone for good.  No matter how much they loved each other, her job still stood in the way of them being together.

All she needed to do was drop off the documentation that Zander had approved on Sorel's case and she could head home.  As she made her way into the police station, she couldn't help but remember the night Zander was released, the night of the shooting.  The memories still haunted her after all this time and no matter what she did to bury them, they returned.  If it wouldn't be for Sonny...no, she is not going to think about that night.  It was all over, the whole ordeal could be put behind her.  Sorel was in prison, Emily and Zander were relatively happy, Sonny and Carly had the new baby and she...well she had her work.  She was going to go back to her life she once knew....a life without Ned.

The desk Sergeant showed Alexis to the interrogation room where Dara had been waiting for her.  The two discussed the case documentation that she had been carrying with her, and Dara proceeded to make notations about the conversation on her steno pad.  Dara was not going to give Sorel a legal loophole for him to slip through.  She wanted every conversation recorded on video and audio, and all the documents done in triplicate.  There was no way Sorel would weasel out on this one.

Alexis left the PCPD and headed for home.  She made her way up to the penthouse and as the elevator doors opened Johnny was standing there to greet her.  She motioned to him that she wanted to see Sonny as she walked towards his penthouse.  Johnny hurried past her and opened the door as he announced that she was there.  Sonny was working at his desk while Carly sat at the dining room table giving the baby his bottle.  Alexis noticed that Carly was not in an ear shot of the conversation she was about to have with Sonny.  He had always expressed his feelings very clearly about Carly staying out of his business dealings, even before this ordeal with Sorel.  They spoke quietly about the situation as Carly became more curious about what was going on in the other part of the room.  "Would you like me to leave so you two can talk business.." Carly said as she sat patting the baby on his back. I'll take him upstairs and try to put him down for his nap." She said as headed for the stairs.  "Thank you Carly, but you really don't have to go...really." Alexis said as she took off her coat.  "No...I do..I can see that this is business and it is important, so I 'll go." she replied as held the baby close.

As Carly made her way upstairs, Sonny watched his wife holding his child as she stepped out of sight.  "Now, what did Dara say about the documents.." Sonny asked as he walked over and sat on the sofa in the living room.  "Well, things look like it's a go, everything seems to be in order.  Zander had nothing else to add to the statements Sorel had made and Dara seemed to be happy to finally have the evidence to prove what Sorel had said to be true." She said as she followed Sonny and sat on the edge of the table that sat in front of him.  "How are Zander and Emily doing?...He has been reporting in every day but I haven't heard from him in a while." Sonny asked as he noticed Alexis was wringing her ring finger on her left hand where her engagement ring used to be.  "They are doing as well as can be expected, I guess." she said as she became more and more fidgety.  "Alexis, talk to me..what is it?  Ned? " Sonny asked as he reached for her hands.  He noticed her hands were like ice and that she really needed someone to talk to.   "Sonny, it's nothing..really." She said as he held her hands tightly.  "Alexis, come on....something is bothering you, what is it?" he replied as Alexis started to get up from where she had been sitting.  "Alexis..sit." "Okay, I'm sitting." "Now tell me what is bothering you so that it makes you so jittery."  "Ned."  "What about him, I thought you two were finished." "We are, well at least he is..I on the other hand am having a hard time letting go.  Letting go of the shooting, letting go of my fears, and letting go of Ned.  Sonny I am a wreck, I can't sleep..I am so bogged down with work right now that I don't have to think about the past.  But I am constantly reminded about it.  I just don't know what to do, and Sonny... I am supposed to be a strong and independent woman, I should be able to handle this, right?" Alexis said as Sonny sat there and listened intently to her rant.  "Alexis, we have all been through an ordeal with the shooting and Sorel's trial....give yourself a break.  You have been trying to do everything for everybody....you need a break, Alexis."  With that said Alexis picked up her coat and her satchel as she headed for the door.  "Alexis, are you going to be alright..." Sonny said as he saw her out.  "Yeah, I'll be fine..I'll see ya tomorrow." She said as Sonny watched walk across the hall.

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Another week had passed and Emily was seemingly getting better.  She and Elizabeth had gone to the studio for a photo shoot and had gone shopping for new outfits.  Zander definitely had seen a difference since Emily had been spending practically everyday with Elizabeth.  He didn't mind that she was out and about, as long as she stayed close to the guards Sonny had placed as protection for both of them.  She had complained a few times about the guards, but she knew she needed to have them around.  Zander and Sonny weren't taking any chances with Sorel's men still walking the streets of Port Charles.

Things seemed to be progressing nicely in Emily's sessions with her parents, and Kevin had asked Zander to attend the session next week.  He wasn't looking forward to being in the same room with Emily's parents for an hour, but he would endure the session for Emily.  His work for Sonny was progressing nicely as well, and Sonny had been planning on sending him on a short business trip with Jason.  Zander wasn't sure how Emily would take the news that he would be gone for a day or so, and how she was going to react to the fact that she would have to stay in Port Charles and not come with him.  He had asked Sonny not to send him along, but he insisted.  Zander knew just from the conversation that Sonny was adamant about him going with Jason.  Sonny had been counting on him, he couldn't say no.

Zander had spent most of the day with Jason going over plans for their trip.  On his way back from Sonny's penthouse, he ran into Lucky on the docks.  He and Elizabeth had been planning their wedding for a few months now, and the big day was coming up fast.  Emily was so excited about helping Elizabeth plan the wedding, she had bride magazines scattered throughout the apartment.  Zander could see the look in Emily's eyes when she had wedding plans on her mind.  He noticed that she would get all excited at the sound of church bells, or when she walked past the bridal shop on Main Street.  Zander felt at that moment as he was talking to Lucky, that it was time for he and Emily to plan their own wedding.  Emily was doing so much better, and he knew that planning her own wedding would help her so much more.  He and Lucky talked a little while on the docks and then said their goodbyes.  Zander had been so grateful for Lucky's help with Emily over the past year, it wasn't surprising that the two of them had become friends.

Zander continued on his way down the docks towards home, as he approached the alley he noticed that Sonny had posted another guard.  He must be expecting something or else he wouldn't of asked for tighter security.  Zander approached the landing of the stairs and one of the guards had come to greet him.  They chatted for a bit and then Zander headed up the stairs.  He had beaten Emily home which for once was a good thing.  Usually once she was home, he couldn't nothing done.  She was good at keeping him distracted from his work, and he needed to make a few calls before he left with Jason in a few days.  Zander was only home about an hour before Emily walked in with her hands carrying bags from every store on Main Street.  Once she was in the door, she dropped the bags on the chair in the living room and removed her coat.  She noticed that he was sitting at the kitchen table working on some documents as she walked over and stood behind him.  She leaned over his shoulder and kissed him on the cheek as her arms draped over his shoulders.  "So, how was your day..hon?" she said as he felt her warm breath on his neck.  "Fine and how was your day of shopping with Elizabeth, did you buy out all the stores?!" he said as he noticed all the shopping bags on the chair in the living room.  "Of course!...we are girls ya, know....we do love to shop!" she said as she smiled from ear to ear.  "I can see that, and I am so glad you are enjoying the time you spend with Elizabeth." he said as he turned himself to face her.  "Zander I love spending time with Elizabeth, it is just like it used to be, ya know shopping, girl talk, and just having some fun for a change." she said as he grabbed her and pulled her down to sit in his lap.  "You are keeping close to the guards, aren't you?" he said as the conversation turned serious.  "Yeah, hon...of course I am.  Actually you can't miss 'em...but I'm not complaining, because I know I need to have them."  "Yes you do and it will always be that way, Em...are you ready for this?  Bodyguards, staying out of business deals and such..are you willing to deal with all of this?" Zander said as he took her face in his warm hands.  She was wondering why such a serious tone from him all of a sudden, what had brought all this on.  "Okay, spill it.." she replied as she got up off his lap.  "Spill what?...There's nothing to spill..I'm just asking my bride to be if she had a problem with living a lifestyle that was so dangerous.  Anything wrong with that?"  Still not sure where this was going, she played along to humor him.  "Zander, I will be your wife whether you work on a fishing boat or whether you are the largest crime boss of the state of New York.  I love you and I always will." she said as she ran her fingers through his black hair.  This was why he loved her so, she was honest and so devoted to their love and relationship.  She loved him no matter what happens she will always be there for him.  Emily had walked around him to get a soda from the refrigerator behind him.  "Want one?.." she asked as she showed him the bottle of soda in her hand. "Sure, thanks.." he said as he reached for the soda.  "So what brought all this on about bodyguards and stuff.." she asked as she walked into the living room and sat down on the sofa.  "Well, I ran into Lucky today down on the docks..and...well, we were talking about his wedding day..and well, it hit me..."  he said as he sat down beside her.  "What hit you...tell me..." she said as she turned and leaned agains the arm of the sofa.  "Ya know..our wedding..." he answered as he took a sip from the soda bottle. She could of swore he said their wedding, but just to be sure she asked him again.  And he answered the same as before.  She couldn't believe what she was hearing, cause they haven't talked about wedding plans or getting married in quite a long time.  This whole deal with Sorel had reall been top priority.  There was a moment of silence, as she set her soda on the coffee table.  "You're serious, aren't you?" she asked as she moved closer to him.  "Yes I am...Emily, I want you to be my wife more than anything.  I have you as my friend...as my lover...and now I want you as my wife." he said as he turned to her and cupped his hands around her face. I want you to be a part of my life for all time, for eternity.  I want to stand up before God and promise to love you, to cherish you, and to be faithful to you for as long as we both shall live."  As he said those words to her, he could see that her eyes had filled with tears of joy.  "Zander...I want that too.  I have wanted that for so long, and for us to be joined as one before all of our friends and family.  Okay, maybe not family..she said with a grin.  But most definitely our friends."  He was so relieved to her say those words, he wasn't sure that she would be up to having a big wedding, with friends and family.  But from the way she was talking she was up for just about anything.  Zander moved closer to her and kissed her softly on her moistened lips.  She was the most beautiful thing he has every laid eyes on, and he wanted to savor every precious moment he had with her. His kiss turned passionate and it had deepened as he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

He had thought about how he was going to spring this little trip on her and now was as good of time as any to tell her. He was laying with his back agains the arm of the sofa as she laid lengthwise in his arms as the darkness rolled in.  Zander reached behind him and turned on the lamp that sat alongside of the couch.  "Emily, I need to discuss something with you and I am not sure you are going to like it."  he said hesitantly.  She turned and looked at him with a puzzled look on her face.  "What is it?  What do have to tell me?...Zander you can tell me anything, you know that.."  She said as she turned over on her stomach as they came face to face.  He wrapped his arms around her as she felt his heart beating faster.  "Well, Sonny needs me to go with Jason out of town for a few days.  And believe me I tried to get out of it...honest...I talked to Sonny this afternoon about it, but he really needs me to go.  Emily?"  He asked as he noticed she was not paying attention to what he had said.  "I heard ya, I was just thinking..."  "Thinking?!....thinking about what?"  he asked surprised that she could be thinking at this very crucial moment.  "What I am going to do with a few days with out you?!"  she said as she started to laugh about him being away for a few days.  "How many people should I invite?" she asked as he was grining about her last snide comment.  "Invite?..Invite for what?"...he asked.  "To the wedding, silly...100..200..." "People?!.."  "Of course people..."  "I thought of a big wedding...you?"  "Uh, before we get wrapped up in planning a wedding, what about me going on this trip with Jason?" he as she laid her head on his chest.  "Well, if Sonny insists you go, then I guess you have to go. I'll be fine.  There is so much stuff to do, I'll keep busy planning the wedding so I won't have to worry about you." "Oh so you're not gonna worry about me?...that's an understatment.." "Of course I worry about you...I worry everytime you go out that door.  I worry if you go down the street for a newspaper.  Zander I worry about you all the time, and this time won't be any different."  she said as she softly kissed him on his cheek. "But you can't let Sonny down, he needs you and you have to go.  I'll be fine.  Rick is posted outside and I have body guards 24 hours a day...there's nothing to worry about."
 

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Lucky and Elizabeth's wedding drew closer every passing day.  The girls had already gotten their gowns from the bridal shop, and had made arrangements for the alterations.  The guys on the other hand had waited till the last minute to order the tuxs from the men's shop, and needless to say Elizabeth was not happy.  They were specifically told to order them three weeks ago, but simply forgot.  Men!

While Elizabeth and Emily had made plans with Gia to meet at the bridal shop that afternoon for the final fittings of the bridesmaid dresses, and the guys were supposed to go next door and order their tuxedoes.  The girls had hoped they remembered.  That morning Zander had made a few phone calls to Sonny to let him know where he and Emily would be for the afternoon.  Emily of course had been with Elizabeth all morning going over final details for the wedding the following week.  There was so much to be confirmed from the minister to the flowers that were to be delivered the morning of the wedding.  But Zander could see such a change in Emily for the better, and he really loved to see her smile.

Emily and Elizabeth walked into the bridal shop as Emily's guards waited outside in front of the store.  Lucky and Zander waited with them for Nikolas, who was late as usual.  They waited only a few minutes before they noticed Nikolas and Gia walking down the sidewalk hand and hand.  Nikolas and found something special in Gia, she was good for him.  As they approached, Gia kissed him on the cheek and walked into the bridal shop to meet up with the girls.  Nikolas continued on and met the guys down the street.  Zander, Lucky and Nikolas walked into the men's shop and started browsing the tuxedos that hung on the racks along the back wall of the store.  They all had decided to wear similiar tuxes and they knew what style they were looking for.  Each of them chose a few styles to try on, and they all walked back towards the dressing room area.  Not knowing what size he was, Zander tried on a few different size to be sure of the exact fit.

While the boys were trying on tuxes, the girls were getting their finally fittings for their dresses.  The assistant went into the back room to retrieve the dresses the girls had ordered.  Each of the girls had their own private dressing room of sorts where they each waited for their dress to arrive.   Elizabeth was the first to receive her dress from one of the assistance.  She unzipped the plastic garment bag and removed the white sequenced wedding dress.  She proceeded to undress from her street clothes so she could try on this beautiful gown that hung before her.  The three girls had decided to match each gown as close as possible, right down to the color.  Emily and Gia would be wearing an off the shoulder deep burgandy taffita tea length, while Elizabeth wore a  white off the should fairly low cut gown with sparkling sequence bodice with a flowing skirt.  As Elizabeth was trying to slip the gown over her head the assistant came in to assist her with zipping it up.  Elizabeth noticed that the assistant had brought with her a full underskirt for her to try on with the dress.  Once Liz had the gown adjusted and the underskirt tied snuggly around her waist, the assistant zipped up the back of the dress.  Once she was all tucked into the gown, the assistant went into the other room to get the box Elizabeth would stand on so she could properly adjust the hem.  While the assistant was out of the room, Emily and Gia came into the bridal room to see Elizabeth.  The girls were speachless.  Elizabeth was stunning in the wedding dress she had picked out.  The assistant returned with the box and placed it in the middle of the room and offered to help Elizabeth step up so she could hem the dress.  The assistant commented on how beautiful the girls looked in their burgandy dresses.  It had been one of the happiest times of Elizabeth's life, she wanted to share this with her closest friends.  Emily could see how happy she was, and wanted the same for herself.  While she was there, she decided to go through some of the bridal dresses that hung along the wall.  Elizabeth puzzled at what Emily was doing, she turned and asked her what she was doing looking through the bridal gowns.  Emily had completely forgotten to tell her that she and Zander had set the date.  All of the excitement about Elizabeth and Lucky's wedding, Emily was just to busy to think about her own.

As the girls were getting pinned and hemmed, the boys were looking very fine in their black and white tuxes.  Lucky didn't want to wear any kind of bow tie or ascot with his tux, he wanted something simple.  And Zander and Nikolas agreed, simple was the best way to go.  Direct and straight to the point.  The manager of the store assisted the boys with the hemming of the pant legs as well as a few minor adjustments across the shoulders.  Each were a different body type, so it took a while to get the measurements.  They had chosen a very nice black and white tuxedoe with a button up shirt that had a small black necklink at the top.  Lucky had decided to buy the guys cufflinks to match the tuxes they would order as a thank you gift for being his best men.  Lucky couldn't choose between Zander and Nikolas who would be his best man, so he decided both of them would be.  It was really just a technicality of the wedding day.  As long as he had his best friends there with him, that was all that mattered.

A short time later as the manager was taking the last of the measurements, the girls entered the store.  The guys heard them from the back of the shop.  How could they not hear them, the girls were laughing and giggling, it really sounded like they were having a good time spending the afternoon together.  The boys had decided to buy the tuxes instead of renting them.  They were sure they would get use out of them, there were two more weddings in the making.  The girls had found their way back to where the boys stood all dapper in their tuxedoes, the boys knew the girls had noticed them because the laughing and giggling had suddenly stopped.  The girls stood there in awe of the three handsome men that stood before them.  As far as they were concerned the guys could wear those tuxes everyday of the week.  It wasn't often that they guys got dressed to the nines, there wasn't many places in Port Charles where they needed to wear tuxedoes.

The girls were actually surprised to see that their guys cleaned up so well, and the boys noticed the smiles on their faces as they watched as the manager measured Nikolas's pant leg.  This was the last measurement for the day, and the shop would call as soon as the tuxes were ready for the boys to pick up.  The girls waited as the guys went back in the dressing rooms to change.  While at the bridal shop Emily had decided on which dress she wanted to order for her own wedding, and the girls had decided to go with the same type dress but in a different color.  It would make it so much easier then choosing a whole new dress, which would lead them back to choosing fabric, color, length and style.

The girls had decided to go for dinner after the alterations, but had thought it would be nice to invite the boys along.  After agreeing where they would go for dinner, all of them headed back towards Kelly's.  It was like old times, but different.  Emily, Lucky, Elizabeth, and Nikolas had always been friends, and now Zander along with Gia rounded out their group.  Over the past year, all of them had become a close knit group of friends.

Zander and Emily had discussed setting a date to get married, but had decided to wait a little while after Lucky and Elizabeth's.  So they had decided on a Spring wedding the following year.  It gave them plenty of time to make plans.

Chapter 6

Lucky and Elizabeth's wedding went off without a hitch, and Emily was hoping for the same in a few months.  She still hadn't discussed any wedding plans with her family, she wanted to do this on her own.  She didn't need their money, her and Zander were doing fine without them.  Zander had taken a few short business trips with Jason since the wedding and she seemed to be getting along okay while he was gone.  Sonny was calling on the hour every hour and either Carly or Elizabeth stopped be a few times a day.  She was getting more attention while he had been gone, then she did when he was home.  But she knew that it was for her own safety and she was okay with that.

Sonny and Carly's baby was growing so fast.  Sonny finally had all that he could ever want, a wonderful wife, Michael, and a beautiful son of his own.  Emily wanted that for her and Zander and she was determined to have it.  Zander had been gone few days with Jason again to places unknown and she had been worried about him.  He usually called as much as he could while he was away, but she hadn't heard from him.  She had called Sonny to find out if he had heard from the boys, and he of course was no help.  He didn't tell her anything she didn't already know.  She tried to keep herself busy by working on wedding plans and making a few phone calls trying to accommodate Zander's schedule.  Sonny had him coming and going every couple of weeks here a late and she knew as time went on Zander would be getting in deeper into the organization.  She didn't really mind that he worked for Sonny, it wasn't work really, it was a way of life.  She respected what he did, and respected his dealings with Sonny.  She had been exposed to the organization through Jason and Robin so she knew what she was getting into before Zander even started working for Sonny.  Her family was having pervbial fits because she was now living with a mobster, but she could handle her family, she wasn't to concerned about their opinions.

It was getting late as the darkness fell over Port Charles.  Zander and Jason still were not back yet, and her worries became more intense.  She wasn't going to think about the what ifs, it wasn't good for her at all to think like that.  He would be home safe in her arms soon enough.  She waited up till a little before midnight hoping he would call or better yet come home.  She wasn't really sure how long she had been asleep on the sofa, but she heard someone outside the door and the key unlocking the door.  She wasn't really concerned besides Rick was standing guard outside with another guard at the end of the alley.  There was no way anyone was getting in to the apartment again.  She lay there with the afghan covering her as she saw a figure walk through the door.  Zander had come home way past the time he said he would be and he was trying so hard not to make any noise to wake her up.  He noticed she was asleep on the sofa as he quietly laid his keys on the kitchen table.  As he walked toward where she was laying he removed his coat and laid it across the chair.  He knelt down beside her and kissed her softly on her forehead hoping that he would not disturb her.  He adjusted the afghan she was covered with and stood up as she reached for his hand.  "I waited up for you.." Emily said softly as her eyes opened slightly.  " Yeah, I can see that.." Zander said with a grin.  As she pushed herself up to make room for him to sit next to her, he bent down and brushed her face with his hand.  "I missed you.." She replied as she embraced him tightly.  "I missed you to, Emily..." he said as he held her so close.  "Don't you guys own a cell phone!" she said with a forceful tone.  "I couldn't call you because....uh, because Jas and I were rather busy on this trip.." he said sheepishly.  What he didn't want to tell her was that this trip was a little more dangerous than the last one and the one before that.  "I'm sorry I couldn't call you..." he replied.  "Well I was worried when you didn't..." she replied as she reached for his hand.  "How were things here while I was gone? .. Anything happen?"  he questioned.  "Nothing really, just Sonny has been calling every hour on the hour checking on me...but other than that..it's been fairly quiet."  She answered as Zander got up and extended his hand to assist her off the sofa.

Zander headed for the other side of the loft towards the bed as Emily followed him clutching onto his shirttails.  She was so tired she rested her head on his back as they walked across the room in unison.  She made her way to the soft bed that awaited for her and turned down the quilt to reveal the goose down pillow.  She didn't wait for him to get into bed, and soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.  Zander stood in his black boxers watching her sleep for a few moments before getting into bed.  He had tried his damndest to protect her, to love her, and to keep her safe.  She meant everything to him and by damn it he was going to do everything to make her happy.  All of these trips were for her and to make a better life for her.  She deserved the best and he was determined for her to have it.
 

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Emily sat patiently in the waiting room for her doctor's appointment, anxiously awaiting the arrival of the duty nurse to come to take her into the examine room.  She sat there what felt like hours as Amy turned the corner and called her name.  Emily could feel the butterflies in the pit of her stomach as she and Amy walked quietly down the hallway towards the door of the examine room.  The door of the room was open as Amy motioned for her to take a seat on the hospital bed.  Amy laid Emily's chart on the counter and handed her an open front hospital gown.  She said the doctor would be in momentarily, and she should put the gown on with the opening to the front and just to relax.  Emily thought to herself "that was easier said then done"...Emily couldn't relax, the butterflies had started way before she left home this morning.  She wasn't really sure what was going on with her the last few weeks, ever since Zander had gotten home from his last trip with Jason.  She had just figured it was the flu or something but it just hadn't gone away, it was actually getting worse.  What really worried her was that she was late, her monthly should of reared its ugly head about 2 weeks ago and till this day it hadn't shown up.  Zander of course didn't notice that she wasn't feeling well,  cause he was working day and night, and she seemed to be fine by the time she would go to bed.  She knew something was definitely wrong when she couldn't even eat any of Ruby's chili that she had lived on for months while living there.  There were so many things going on with her, she really wasn't going to make any assumptions, so she made an appointment to come in and see the doctor.

After a few minutes, her doctor came in to the examine room and picked up her chart that Amy had laid on the counter.  "So, you're not feeling well..." Dr. Meadows said as he turned and looked at her.  Kind of embarrassed by what she was wearing she hesitated in answering him.  "Yeah, I just figured it was the flu or something....but it kept getting worse..so I thought I'd come in and get checked out. " She replied as she pulled the gown over her bare front.  " Okay, well let's just see what we have..he said as he came toward her and put on the latex gloves he took out of the box that sat on the counter...Just lay back and relax." he said as he sat down on the swivel stool at her feet.  "Yeah, that's what Amy said when I came in here...just relax.." She replied as she did as instructed.  Dr. Meadows assisted her in putting her feet in the stirrups that were attached to the bed on both sides.  Emily could feel her muscles in her stomach tightening as Dr. Meadows examined her.  It only took a few moments and the examine was over. "You can sit up now Emily...that wasn't so bad now was it.." he replied as he removed the gloves and threw them in the trash pail near the door.  She breathed a sigh of relief and sat up on the bed as he wrote something on her chart. "So, what's wrong with me? " she asked as she swung her legs to the side of the bed.  "Well, you look fine and everything seems to be where it should be.  I'll have Amy come in and draw some blood, let's see if that tells us anything, but first I need some information from you.  It will give us a better idea of what we are looking for." he replied as he picked up her chart again.  She answered all his questions that he rattled off and he wrote down all her answers on the chart.  After he had finished asking the questions he flipped closed the chart and walked out the door.  A few moments later Amy came in with a syringe and vial in hand.  "We need to draw some blood, Emily.  Please extend your left or right arm.  This will only take a second and I only need a little bit." she said as she laid the syringe and vial on the metal table that was near the bed.  Emily did as asked and looked away as Amy drew the blood from her arm.  She hated needles and couldn't stand to watch Amy take blood from her.  It was bad enough that she could feel the needle go in and come out of her arm.  "That's it..you're done. You can get dressed now, Emily. I'm not sure how long this will take but Dr. Meadows put a rush on it...do you want to wait?" Emily nodded that she would wait in the waiting room for the results.  As soon as she was dressed and ready to be seen in public again, she returned to her seat in the lounge near the nurses station.

Emily sat quietly reading one of many of the magazines that lay spread across the table in front of her.  She wasn't really paying attention to her surroundings, till she heard her named called.  As she looked up, and she noticed her mother heading in her direction.  Emily really didn't want to deal with her today, she was stressed enough about these test results.  "Emily, what are you doing here? Are you sick? " Monica said as she rushed over and sat down beside her. "No mom..I'm not sick.  I came to see Dr. Meadows for a check up, that's all." Emily replied as she laid the magazine down on the table.  "You'd tell me if you were sick, right?  I mean we haven't seen you in a while and your father and I are worried about you, Emily."  "I'm fine, and I really don't want to start this conversation with you at the moment.  Because I know where it is going and I don't want to fight with you." Emily said as she felt those butterflies come back.  "Emily...We are not the enemy here.  Why can't you see that?" Monica said as she reached for her hand.  "Don't." she said as she pulled away from her mother.  "What do you want from me, Emily?  Your father and I have tried everything to see what you see and I'm sorry but we just can't.  You tell us what you want us to do." Monica said as she saw a stray tear stream down her daughter's face.  "What I want...well, that's a new one coming from you mom.  I mean it is the first time in a long time that you have asked me what I want." she said in a harsher tone.  "That's not fair, Em"  "Not fair..okay, see I told you I didn't want to have this conversation with you.  What I want is to live my life the way that I want to live it.  And that means that I will be living with Zander, and I will become his wife.  There is just no other way to say it.  This is what I want, not what the family wants.  And I am sorry, but it is the way I feel and it is what I want." she replied.  "So, you are still gonna marry him, even though he has joined the ranks of Sonny's organization and the family disapproves?"  her mother asked.  "Yes I am.  Mom, look I love him and  he loves me.  We have made a really nice life for ourselves, and we are happy.  Zander takes very good care of me, he protects me and gives me everything I could ever want." Emily replied as she noticed her father step off the elevator.

Monica noticed the direction of her glare and saw Alan standing at the nurses station.  As he turned around Alan noticed they were glaring in his direction.  As he walked closer he noticed Emily's body language stiffen as she sat on the couch.  "Emily?...Are you okay?" he said as he took a seat in the large chair that sat before them.  "I'm fine..I just came in for a checkup.  Nothing to worry about." she replied hoping that Amy would come back with those test results.  She was getting anxious for some answers about what was going on with her.  A worried look came over her face while a million things raced through her mind.  "Em are you okay?" her mother said as she saw that Emily's face was a little pale.  "I'm fine, would you two quit smothering me!" Emily replied as the feeling of anger started building in her gut.  "Look, I haven't eaten today yet and I'm a little tired.  I'm fine.  I just need some rest that's all. " Emily said as she noticed Amy had returned to the nurses station.  Emily had wondered if her test results were back yet from the lab.  As her parents sat there and talked amongst themselves she noticed Amy glance over at her and motioned for her.  Emily politely excused herself from the conversation and walked over to where Amy was standing.

"So, what's the verdict? " Emily asked as she reached the counter.  "Well, Dr. Meadows is waiting for you in his office.  It's right around the corner." Amy said with a smile as she pointed in the direction of the office.  "Thanks Amy."  As Emily turned the corner, Alan and Monica went to ask Amy who Emily was here to see.  Amy of course being the gossip teller of the hospital told them that she had been here to see Dr. Meadows and that she went to hear some test results that Dr. Meadows had asked for.  Being the good parents that they were, Alan and Monica had the right to know what was going on with their daughter.  They turned and headed for Dr. Meadows' office hoping to catch Emily before she went into the office.  Their thinking was that they were her parents, they had a right to know what was going on with her.  Emily reached the office door, and was a little hesitant to go inside.  The fear of finding out what was happening to her was getting to her and those butterflies were coming on strong.  She opened the door and stepped inside as she saw Dr. Meadows sitting behind his desk.  "Come on in, Emily.  Have a seat.  Your tests results are back from the lab and I wanted to discuss them with you." he said as he opened up the folder he had laying in front of him.  Emily came inside and sat down in one of the chairs that sat in front of his desk.  Meanwhile, Alan and Monica had reached the office door and stood outside trying to hear the conversation between Dr. Meadows and their daughter.  Emily had become a little antsy in the chair as Dr. Meadows looked up from the file and laid his hands on top of one another on top of the desk.  "So, I see you are getting impatient with me, so I will get to the point."  he said as he looked at her intensely.  Emily saw that the results were on the tip of his tongue as she felt those butterflies again.  He hesitated for a moment as he gathered his thoughts.  Alan and Monica anxiously waited for him to answer as they stood eavesdropping outside the door.  "Well, Emily you don't have the flu. " he said as he noticed the confused look on her face.  "Well, if I don't have the flu..than what do I have?" she asked as Dr. Meadows glared over the desk.  "Emily, you don't have...you are." he replied.  "Are what?" ... "Are about 6 weeks pregnant." he replied as the look of astonishment over came her face.  "I'm p...pregnant?" she asked as if she was surprised to hear the news.  "Yes about 6 weeks.  That's why you were late and you had been sick for the last couple weeks.  Alan and Monica stood in complete shock outside the door of the office.  All of the emotions came over Emily as she sat in the chair and Dr. Meadows got a few things together for her to take with her.  Zander would be elated with the news about the new baby.  She was excited yet worried about how a new baby would change their lives.  Alan and Monica didn't know what to do now.  Did they want to confront her now or wait till she told them or just not say anything that they knew?  The two of them couldn't decide in a split second so they turned and walked down the hall towards Alan's office in shock.  This was totally unexpected and would turn the Quartermaine household on its roof.

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Emily arrived home with a bag full of goodies to read about being pregnant...she just loved saying that word. Pregnant.  It sounded so official.  Zander is gonna be calling everyone he knows as soon as he finds out, which will be in a few hours when he gets home from work.  She took off her coat and sat at the kitchen table as she opened the plastic bag Dr. Meadows had given her.  Along with the information was a prescription for prenatal vitamins that she was suppose to take once a day, everyday till the baby was born.  She had strict instructions about eating healthy and progressing with this pregnancy stress free.  She certainly would try with the latter, because the lifestyle they lived it would be difficult to live stress free.  But she was determined to carry this baby to term and to bring a son or daughter into this world.  She and Zander deserved to be happy, and having a baby would certainly make them happy.

As she sat looking through the pamphlets and reading every bit of information, there was a knock on the door.  As she got up from the table, Rick opened the door and announced to her that Elizabeth was here to see her.  She was so excited that Elizabeth knew something was up.  Emily welcomed her in and invited her to sit with her at the table that laid full of pamphlets.  "Emily, what has gotten you all excited...do tell!" Elizabeth said as she sat down on the kitchen chair.  "Well, I shouldn't tell you, cause I wanted Zander to be the first to know.  But I have to tell somebody before I bust." Emily said all smiles.  "Well, what's going on..." Elizabeth replied as she looked down at the pamphlets that lay on the table in front of her.  As she read the headings on one of the pamphlets a smile came across her face.  "Em....are you..?" she asked as she smiled from ear to ear.  "Yep...about 6 weeks!" she replied as both girls shrieked with glee. "So, Zander doesn't know..." Elizabeth asked as she flipped through one of the pamphlets.  "No, I just found out myself about an hour ago.  I'll tell him as soon as he comes home tonight.  He's going to be so excited.  He is going to make a great father to this baby. " Emily said as Elizabeth listened intently.  "And you are going to make a great mother....Em." she replied as Emily nodded in agreement.  "I am so happy for the two of you.  You guys really deserve happiness.  You have been through so much since you have been together, and this couldn't of come at a better time." Elizabeth said as Emily got up to go to the refrigerator. "Do you want something to drink, Elizabeth." Emily said as she reached for two glasses from out of the cabinet. "Sure, thanks. " She said as Emily looked to see what they had to drink.  "Orange juice....is that okay?" she replied as she took the carton and set it on the counter.  "That's fine....so how do you feel?" Elizabeth replied as Emily set the two glass on the table.  "I feel fine, a little tired but fine." she said as she took  her seat.

The two of them sat for a little while just talking girl talk.  The conversation had moved from the baby to wedding plans.  Now because of the baby, Emily was really considering moving up the wedding.  She didn't want to be as big as a house walking down the isle.  She really didn't think she would be by that time, it was only about 2 months anymore before the big day.  If she was lucky, she would just barely be showing...unlike Carly who was showing considerably by her third month.  As the girls discussed wedding plans, Rick opened the door as Zander walked through and noticed the girls giggling again.  He had always wondered what girls were giggling about when men walk into a room.  He noticed that Emily scurried to collect the papers that were scattered across the kitchen table as he walked into the living room and removed his coat and laid it across the chair.  He heard the girls say their goodbyes and Elizabeth opened the door to go as he sat down at the kitchen table.  Emily closed the door behind Elizabeth and walked towards him as she noticed he was drinking her orange juice that sat on the table in front of him.  "I was drinking that..." she replied as she sat down on his lap.  "You want it..." he replied as she gave him a peck on the cheek.  "No you can have it..." she replied with a grin.  "So, how was your day?" he asked as he noticed she had gotten all excited about something.  "Well, I went to see the doctor today..." she said as he got a confused look on his face.  "And you went to see he him...because?" he asked.  "I just went in for a check up and because I was sick for the last 2 weeks or so." she replied as he now was worried.  "And...did he find out what you have?...is it the flu or something else?" he asked as he noticed she just couldn't keep it in any longer.  "Or something else..." she said as he wrapped his arms around her waist.  She felt this was so fitting that he wrapped his arms around her, being she was about to tell him that he was going to be a daddy.  "Em...what did the doctor tell you?" he asked as he was getting anxious to here her answer.  "How would you feel if I told you that you were going to become a daddy in about 7 months?" she said as she noticed he was shocked to hear the news just as she was in the doctors office.  "You're..when, how?..Well I know how...but when?...he replied as he became excited about the idea of hearing the pitter patter of little footsteps.  "About 6 weeks ago..." she replied as she stood up and turned to face him.  "Are they sure? I mean you positive...there is no mistake.." "No mistake...Amy drew the blood and the lab at the hospital did the test this afternoon. We're PREGNANT!" she replied as he jumped out of his seat and he embraced her as he twirled her around the living room.  Their celebration had alarmed Rick who opened the door to see if everything was alright.  "Sir...is everything alright." Rick asked as he stepped into the apartment. "Rick everything is just great!" Zander said as Rick nodded and turned to step back outside to his post.  This was the best news he has heard in quite a long time.  It took a few minutes for the news to sink in but when it did, he was just jumping out of his skin.  Zander couldn't of been more happier then he was right at this moment.  He set her down in the middle of the living room and kissed her so intensely.

"Have you told anyone yet?" he asked as he propped a few pillows behind Emily as she leaned against the arm rest of the sofa.  "Just you, and well Elizabeth..." she replied as he sat next to her on the edge of the cushion.  "What about your parents? They are not going to be thrilled with this news of a baby.  Especially if their first grandchild has my last name." he said as a worried look came over him.  "Not to worry about my parents...I will handle them.  Let's just be happy about the baby and forget about what everyone else thinks" she replied as he noticed those loving eyes looking back at him.  He loved her so much and he was elated about the baby.  It was just something they both wanted and now it was finally happening.  It was overwhelming to say the least.  There was so much to think about and so much that needed to be done.  Zander was bursting at the seams with excitement, she knew he had to tell somebody.  "Go ahead..call him." she said as he looked at her puzzled at what she said.  "Call who?.." he asked as she grabbed his hands.  "Sonny...go call him.  I know you wanna..you're busting at the seams here Zander. Call him."  she said as he smiled at her.  As he reached for the phone, Rick opened the door and announced that Sonny and Carly were here to see them.  "Speak of the devil..." Emily said as she laid on the sofa and Zander covered her with the afghan.  "Well you look all cozy there on the couch.." Sonny said as he and Carly stepped into the apartment.  "I was just about to call you.." Zander said as he walked over to shake hands with Sonny.  "Yeah, what about.." Sonny replied as he noticed something was going on between these two.  As Sonny and Zander stood together chatting, Carly came over and sat on the couch with Emily.  "So what's going on..." she asked as Emily moved her legs to give Carly some room to sit.  "Well, I'm gonna let Zander tell ya's.." she said as she looked over at him.  "Zander...do you want to tell them what's going on around here?" she asked as he turned to look at her.  "Em's pregnant!" he said as both Sonny and Carly listened intensely.  "You're pregnant!..." Carly said as she got all excited for the two of them.  That is so great!  How far along?" she asked as she looked back at Emily who had a grin on her face.  "About 6 weeks. Got the tests done this afternoon." she replied.  "Congratulations you two.." Sonny said as he removed his overcoat and scarf.  "Thanks we are happy about the news...although my parents are not going to be so thrilled.." Emily replied as Zander came to sit with her on the sofa.  She sat up as he slid behind her to give her support as she laid back down.  "They don't know yet...." Carly said as Sonny sat down on the chair a few feet away.  "No, we haven't told them yet..." Zander replied.

Unbeknownst to Emily that her parents already know about the new baby she was going to have, because of course they were eavesdropping at the door when Dr. Meadows told her the results.  "Well, they are not going to be happy but this would be their first grandchild, don't you think they would be supportive because of that fact?" Sonny asked as Zander leaned front to adjust his seat.  "Well considering this child is a part of me and will carry my name....I don't think the Quartermaines are going to be too supportive with anything that is associated with me." Zander replied.  "That was really what I wanted to talk to about, Sonny. How difficult is it for Emily and I to elope?" he asked as he noticed Emily's surprise to the question.  "Why would you want to elope? I thought you two wanted the big wedding, you were making plans..weren't you? Sonny asked as he looked shocked as well to the question.  "Yeah, we were..are...but with the baby now, I have this feeling that the Quartermaines are going to create problems and if we marry then have the baby, there wouldn't be much they could say or do about it...ya know." Zander replied as Emily squeezed his hand.  "He has a point, there Sonny.." Carly said.  "The Q's are not going to let this go especially now that a baby is involved.  I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I had to with AJ.  Isn't there something that can be done to make sure that the Q's won't interfere?"  "Well, let me see what I can do...give me a day or so. I'll check into a few things." Sonny said as he directed the reply to Zander and Emily both.  The four of them sat and talked about an hour or so before Carly got worried about their own baby.  Latica was looking after he and Michael and Carly really was wanting to get back to them.  So Sonny grabbed his coat and assisted Carly with hers as they made their way towards the door.  Zander opened the door as Rick stood outside keeping watch.  He and Sonny shook hands and Zander watched the two of them walk down the stairs before he closed the door.

As he turned around he noticed that Emily had drifted off to sleep on the couch.  So he made his rounds as he turned off the lights in the kitchen and double checked the lock on the door.  He walked quietly across the hardwood floor to the couch as he turned the lamp off that sat on the end table next to the couch.  He removed the afghan that covered Emily and lifted her in his arms and cradled her.  He carried her to the bed and held her close as he turned down the sheets.  He laid her down gently on the satin sheets that were revealed and covered up with the down comforter.  He was still overwhelmed with the news about the baby, he couldn't believe it.  He and Emily were going to have a baby.  It still hadn't sunk in completely and probably wouldn't till he or she arrived 7 months from now.  He moved quietly around to the other side and started to remove his clothes as she lay fast asleep.  He just wanted her to be happy..and now she was completely.  He slipped between the sheets and drifted across the bed to lie next to her.  He wrapped his arms around her and held her close as his hands drifted down to her mid section as if to protect what she held inside her body.  His baby. Their baby.
 

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The days passed by as Emily and Zander were planning on their newest arrival.  Sonny had made arrangements for the two of them to leave town quietly and spend some time on the island.  He would make sure they were protected at all times and no one would know that they were not in Port Charles.  Emily had a few days to pack some things for her and Zander, while he went and finished up some business before they left.  She was actually breathing a sigh of relief.  She really wouldn't know what to do with out Zander and Sonny there to protect her from the family.  They have certainly not been very supportive of her decision to associate with Zander, let alone marry him and have his baby.  She was surprised that her parents haven't come by or called since she and Zander told them about the baby.  It was not the easiest thing to do and they were not pleased to say the least with the news.  Grandfather was livid when he heard the news that she was pregnant, and swore that he would have the last say about who would raise his great-grandchild.  Zander wasn't afraid of Edward's threats, but Emily knew different.  She knew what Grandfather was capable of and what he would do to get what he wanted.  And he wanted her away from Zander and even more now that she was carrying his child.

As she was packing the last of the bags for the trip, she heard the door open.  "Zander, is that you..." Emily said as she zipped up the duffle bag.  "Yeah, hon..." he replied as his eyes wandered around the apartment looking for her. "Good,  I just finished packing the last bag for our trip.  Did Sonny say when we're leaving?"  She asked as walked across the hardwood floor towards him.  "We leave tonight.  As soon as it gets dark...Sonny will have the car waiting for us and Jason will accompany us to the airport." He replied as he gave her one of his big hugs that she loved so much.

As the time grew near to leave,  Zander and Rick carried the bags down the stairs and waited for the limo to arrive.  Emily waited by the door for Zander to come and get her when it was time.  She sat at the kitchen table patiently waiting for Zander to walk through the door.  She had been sitting there just thinking about the baby and their future as man and wife, when she heard the door swing open.  "Are you ready?..." Zander asked as he reached for her hand.  She was so ready.  She was so happy to finally get out of Port Charles...at least for a little while.  Zander grabbed her coat as she waited for him at the door.  He saw her out the door and closed it behind him.  Emily saw that Rick was waiting at the bottom of the stairs and that the limo door was open.  Zander had told her that Jason would be riding with them to the airport which was nice, because she certainly wanted to say good bye to her brother before they boarded the plane.  She looked back and saw Zander following her down the stairs as Rick reached for her hand to assist her into the car.   She reached for his hand and stepped into the limo...Jason was waiting for her as he sat very still against the door on the opposite site of the car.  He looked at her when she sat down next to him and she was so amazed that he didn't flinch, he didn't even crack a smile.  As she turned and looked in the direction of Jason's stare, Zander got into the limo and Rick closed the car door and tapped on the roof as to signal the drive he could go.  They made their way down the ally and were headed for the airport.  The plan seemed to be going as planned, although things seemed to be going to well.  She was not relaxed, she was becoming concerned which was no good for her or the baby.  Zander noticed she was becoming worried and wrapped his arm around her shoulder and held her close.  She looked up at him as he smiled back at her.  She knew that Zander would take care of her and everything would be alright.

They reached the airport as the driver drove to a private hanger where Sonny kept his plane.  The butterflies came over her once again as she saw the plane taxi out of the hanger and come to a stop.  The limo stopped a few feet from the plane as the stairs were lowered for them to board.  She and Zander stepped out of the limo as Jason followed them to the platform.  Zander and Jason shook hands as they both looked at her and nodded in agreement.  She knew that there was a deal going on here but she didn't question their decisions.  Zander turned to start up the stairs as Jason leaned in to hug Emily good bye.  The two of them embraced for a few moments and then Jason turned her around and assisted her up the stairs into the plane. Zander was waiting at the top of the stairs and took the lead from Jason and Emily's arm.  Jason turned and walked back down the stairs to the limo that waited for him.  Emily sat in one of the seats closest to the window and peered down at Jason standing by the car.  Zander sat beside her knowing that this was the best way to handle this situation as he noticed a tear trickling down her cheek.  The stairs came up and the attendant secured the door as the he heard the plane's engine start up.  There was no turning back now, he and Emily were prepared for anything and this was just part of their journey to be together.  Zander took her hand in his as they taxied down the runway.  He could see in her eyes that she was so desperately wanting this to work the way they wanted it to.

He took his hand and turned her face towards his as he looked into her eyes.  Tears trickled down her cheeks as he wiped them away with his thumbs.  "We're doing the right thing, Emily...." he said as she felt overwhelmed with sadness of leaving her friends behind.  "I know we are,  I just wish things could be different somehow." she replied as he leaned in to kiss her.  He kissed her softly on her puffy lips and embraced her tightly as he felt the plane take flight.  "We're going to alright now...all three of us." Zander replied as he placed his hand on her abdomen. "Everything is going to be just fine.." he added as he embraced her once again.

Emily watched out the plane window as she sat in her seat thinking of what lie ahead of them.  She was getting anxious about the baby and what it meant to Zander to have a child of his own.  What this child represented to both of them....they had conceived a child out of love, deep love, true love.  Something she always wanted for herself, someone to love her and for her to love in return.  Zander had made her so happy over the 2 years they had been together, she found what others only dream of having.  She laid her head back on the head rest and watched the blinking white and red lights that appeared on the wings of the plane.  Soon Zander saw her drift off to sleep as a grin came over his face.  She would soon be his wife and soon would have his child, what more could he ask for.  He had all he could ever want right there with him.  He stood up and walked over and sat down beside her.  He took her hand in his and laced their fingers together as one of the attendants came into the cabin.  As she walked passed him, he asked her how long it would be before they landed.  She told him it wouldn't long now, maybe an hour or so.  He left her pass and wrapped his arm around the back of Emily's neck as she leaned in and rested her head on his shoulder.

He had all that he needed was lying in his arms.  Emily and his child that she was carrying.

Chapter 7
***R/NC-17***

Once Zander and Emily reached the island, they were greeted by more of Sonny's guards and they were escorted to the house on the beach. Emily noticed the water was so blue, crystal blue so crystal clear you could see to the reefs below.  The white sandy beaches were beautiful was they lay against the white surf that came rolling in.  The warm Caribbean breezes felt nice against her soft and supple skin and she was for sure this was just a little piece of Heaven for her and Zander.  She wished they could stay here forever and never return to Port Charles, New York.  Zander had grabbed the bags from the trunk of the car as he and Emily followed the guards to the front door of the huge house that stood before them.  Sonny certainly knew how to relax in luxury, and he certainly knew what they needed right now.  They needed some down time, some time to relax and enjoy each other without interruptions or worries about their life in Port Charles.

As they entered the foyer of the beach house, he noticed how spacious and free flowing the house was.  Sonny had mentioned they would have anything and everything they could want while staying there.  His personnel had strict instructions during their stay and they should just relax and enjoy their time together.  Zander set the bags down at the bottom of the spiral stair case that lead to the upstairs bedrooms as Emily had wandered into the living room area where the outside walls were full length windows and a pair of french doors on either side that lead to a patio area that overlooked the ocean.  She opened one of the doors to feel the warm breezes that were blowing outside as she heard the sound of the ocean that was only a few feet from the house.  She couldn't believe she was here, a place this beautiful only existed in the movies and in her dreams.  Zander walked towards her across the white marble floors of the living room and stepped outside.  He came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist and they just gazed out at the ocean that welcomed them.

Jason had asked Zander to call him as soon as they got settled at the house, so as he went to call Jason as Emily turned to explore a little more.  She made her way towards the spiral stair case that led upstairs as she noticed the beautiful indoor pool that sat on the backside of the house.  She strolled down the corridor to the open area that contained a small kidney shaped pool, certainly big enough for two.  The pool over looked part of the beach below and she noticed the sunlight shown in through the large windows that surrounded the room.  She wandered a little more and found herself upstairs in the master suite.  She had never seen a bedroom this large before, it was as large as Zander's whole apartment.  As she entered the room she noticed a large four poster mahogany bed that was draped with white chiffon that was blowing in the breeze, along with the white chiffon curtains that were draped over the curtain rods that they were hung on.  The bed had a white lace eyelet type coverlet with white percale eyelet sheets and two large poofy pillows that lay at the headboard.  She walked towards the window that had been opened and peered out over the ocean that lay below.  "It was so beautiful here..." she thought as she heard Zander come up the stairs.  She turned around and noticed he was standing in the doorway.  "Emily...are you okay?"...he asked as he walked over to where she was standing at the window.  "I'm fine.." she said as they stood side by side and wrapped their arms around each other.

As nighttime fell across the ocean, he and Emily walked along the white sandy beach hand and hand.  The moonlight glistened across the waves of the ocean as the white surf rolled over their bare feet.  As they walked along the edge of the water, both were remembering how much they had been through together over the past 2 years.  Both of them were so ready to move on with their lives together, it was time to let go of the past and to look forward to the future.  Zander and Emily sat on the beach just looking out across the water as the moon lit up the sky.  He turned to her and kissed her lightly on her lips as the warm breeze gently danced through her auburn hair.  She took his face in her hands and deepened the kiss with passion and force.  He embraced her as he laid her down on the warm white sand.  As he hovered over her, he began to unbutton her shirt and slowly removed it from her.  He noticed her skin was warm to the touch as he kissed her lightly on her shoulder and as he drifted his kisses along her neck,  she tilted her head back and away to entice him even more.  His mouth soon found hers as she began to remove his tee he was wearing.  They broke the kiss if only for a moment as he slipped the tee over his head and at the same moment she lowered her hand and unbuttoned his jeans.  He removed the piece of clothing was inhabiting him and slowly unbuttoned her jeans with one hand as the other reached around and lightly moved a stray hair that fell across her face.  Their desires for each other were about to be reached as they lie on the white sand beach and the warm salty water came rushing over their bodies.  He kissed her with such passion it took her breath away.  As he cupped his hands around her face and her's did to him, their passion reached the pinnacle of intensity.  He slid the straps of her black satin bra down her arms and removed it from her body as she slowly reached down and began to remove the boxers he was wearing.  He kissed her softly as his mouth found the tender skin of her breast and his tongue teasing her nipple till she was aroused.  She could feel his tongue as it gently played with her and as it teased her hardened nipple.  She laid her head back and closed her eyes as she became aroused to no end.  He slowly drifted his kissed down the front of her midsection which led him to her lower abdomen.  He couldn't help but think of the child which grew within her as he slowly repositioned himself down between her thighs.  As she laid there in ecstasy, he softly kissed her tender skin of her inner thighs and as she flinched, he looked up at her concerned wondering if she was okay.  He noticed she was enjoying every one of his touches so he continued without saying a word.  His tender kisses moved towards her warm flesh that was now moist to the touch.  She felt every glide of his finger as it slid in a rhythm within her body and as he softly kissed her on her lower abdomen.  His kisses drifted upward towards her midsection as free hand caressed her soft skin.  She felt him softly caressed her waist as he hovered over top of her kissing her body every step of the way towards her neck.  As he hovered over her, she wrapped her arms around him and pressed him close to her.  His hips gently forced open her legs as she wrapped them around him and she felt him push himself inside her.  As they laid on the white sandy beach wrapped in each other's arms the white salty surf rushed over their warm bodies.  As they embraced each other he leaned in closer to her as his mouth found hers once again and as they kissed passionately.  They moved with the rhythm of each other as both of them were about to reach their peaks.  The intensity grew stronger with every thrust of his hips as he deepened every stroke.  He could feel her muscles contract as she reached her level of ecstasy and he noticed as her head laid on the sand she closed her eyes and thrust her hips against his.  A few more strokes inside her was what he needed to release all of what was bottled inside of him.  He held her close as he rolled over on his back and she found herself on top.  He loosened his grip and she sat up on his abdomen, he still inside her.  With a shift of her body, they were no longer one, but two who loved each other even more then before.  She knew how much he loved her so, but she felt the love so much more now.  As she laid back into the joint of his shoulder, his arm wrapped around her and held her close, as the other hand drifted across her lower abdomen.  He noticed she was showing the signs of  her pregnancy as he ran his hands across her little belly that held their baby.  She was so beautiful and she would only become more beautiful as she progressed in her pregnancy.

They laid on the white sand for a little while underneath the moonlight and the stars in the midnight sky before heading back to the house.  It was after midnight as they entered the house with some of their clothes in hand.  Zander took her hand and led her to the spiral staircase that led up to the bedroom.  He could see that she was exhausted from their walk on the beach so he swept her up into his arms as she wrapped her arms around his muscular neck.  He held her close as he made his way up the stairs.  Once in the bedroom he carried her over to the four poster bed and laid her down gently underneath the white chiffon canopy.  "I love you, Em.." he said as he released her from his arms.  "I love you to..Zander" she replied as she pulled him closer.  He kissed her softly as she drifted across the bed to make room for him to lay next to her.  His arms wrapped around her, she laid her head on his chest and laid her arm across the ripples of his abdomen.  She could feel the warm ocean breeze as it came across their bodies and filtered through the open window.

As the moonlight drifted across the open floors of the master suite, they held each other close and fell asleep in each others arms.
 

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Alan and Monica still reeling from the news about their new grandchild, had come to the agreement something needed to happen before they lose this grand-child like they had with Michael.  Monica and Alan both have been trying to contact Emily for the past few days and all they have gotten was the answering machine.  Assuming Emily might have been out at the times of the phone call, they decided to go visit the apartment instead.  Upon arriving to the apartment, Alan noticed one of Sonny's guards at the back of the alley.  As he and Monica approached the stairs, Rick walked toward them with a purpose.  "Mr. Smith and Ms. Quartermaine are not available right now, and I would ask if you could stop back another time for a visit." Rick said as he blocked the path to the stairs.  "We didn't come to see the criminal, we came to see our daughter!" Alan said forcefully as he tried to by-pass Rick.  "Mr. Quartermaine, I was specifically instructed not to allow you access to your daughter.  Now I told you once, please don't make me tell you again!" Rick said with a side step to block Alan once again from going towards the stairs.  "Instructed by whom?.." Monica asked as she stood in front of him.  "By Mr. Smith and Mr. Cornithos, now please leave the premises before I have both of you removed." Rick said as he moved towards them.  "Is Emily here?...We came to see her and we are not leaving till we get some answers!" Alan said forcefully as he got up in Rick's face.  As Alan and Monica were having words with Rick in the alley, two other guards came in from behind them.  Emily's parents stood in disgust and frustration as they were being intimidated by a couple of Sonny's goons.  "This is not right! She is our daughter for Pete Sake!" Monica replied as her eyes welled up with tears.  "They cannot do this to us, we are her parents, she is carrying our grandchild!"  she said as she pointed in the direction of the loft.  "Zander took her away from us 2 years ago and damn it, he is not going to take her away from us again!  And we want to see her, now!" Alan shouted as he felt the presence of the other guards behind him.  "Look, Mr. Quartermaine...Mrs. Quartermaine...the two of you are not permitted to see your daughter!  And I am not at liberty to tell you if she is here or not, so please do not ask." Rick said as he motioned to the other guards to escort Alan and Monica to their car.  "Well, I tell you what...you have not seen the last of this Quartermaine.  And you can tell that criminal she is having our grandchild with that we will be back to see our daughter!" Alan said as he pointed and shook his index finger towards the apartment above.  Rick just stood there and shook his head in amazement at what just happened with Em's parents as Alan and Monica got in their car and backed out of the alley.  As they drove down the street heading home, Alan was so angry with what just happened he sat in the car pounding his fists against the steering wheel.  Monica noticed his anger had boiled to the breaking point as they pulled into the long driveway that led up to the house.

Edward and Lila were waiting for them in the living room when they came back from supposedly seeing Emily.  Edward knew something was wrong by the looks on their faces when they walked into the room.  "Did you see her, did you see our Emily?" Edward asked as he stood up from the chair he had been sitting in.  "No, we didn't see her.  Hell we couldn't even get passed the guards. " Alan said as he took a seat on the sofa.  "Guards?! Who's guards, where?" Edward replied as his look became concerned.  "Zander and Sonny have three guards posted in the alley and at the door of the apartment.  If we wouldn't of left, they would of removed us." Monica said as her tears streamed down her face.  "Oh Alan, what are we going to do?" she said as she sat down beside him and he wrapped his arm around her.  "What we are going to do is march right over there and remove Emily from the clutches of that..that..that deviant!" Edward bellowed as he paced the floor of the room.  "We can't do that Edward, she's eighteen, she can do what she wants.  And she wants to be with Zander, there's nothing we can do to stop her." Monica said as she sat back against the sofa cushion.  "Monica she is carrying his child for goodness sake, you two should be breaking down their door and dragging her out of there before it's too late." he replied as he paced.  "It's already too late, Father.  She is under Zander and Sonny's protection now and we have lost her completely." Alan said as he sat on the sofa with his arms crossed in front of him.  "So you're just gonna give up, and hand her to over to those criminals!"  Edward replied.  "Father, what do want us to do?!  She has made her decision, she wants to be with Zander and she has alienated her family to do it!" Alan said as Monica noticed his blood pressure was rising by the mention of Zander's name.  "What about this child, our Emily is carrying that deviant's child!" Edward said as he came and sat down on the chair in front of him.  "Edward, now stop this! Emily has made her decision, can't we just respect that." Lila said as she sat in her chair along side of him.  The voice of reason within the Quartermaine family had spoken in the defense of Emily.  Lila had been always stood behind Emily in her decisions about Zander and repected her feelings.  She was the only Quartermaine that respected her decision to move out, and to move on with her life without the family.  It was what Emily needed to do and Lila respected that.

The family had really hit the breaking point some time ago when Zander brought her back from Arizona, but this time was the last straw.  One of their own was carrying this criminal's child, and in their minds Zander was the enemy here, not the family.  In their minds, he did nothing to prove them wrong, he had done so many things to Emily that proved them right.  The family sat in the living room just frustrated, angry and heartbroken that Emily would do this to them.  To alienate herself from them and to keep their grand-child from them, in their minds this was all Zander's influence.

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The night had become the dawn as Zander awoke with Emily in his arms. He looked down at her and noticed her smiling back at him.  As the cool ocean breeze came over them that blew through the window he kissed her softly on her lips to say good morning.  Today was the first day of new beginnings for them.  Today was the day that Zander had planned to marry his beautiful bride.  He slipped out from underneath the sheets and pulled on his boxers as she lay there watching his every move.  A smile came over her face as she sat up and watched as he sat down on the edge of the bed.  "What?...what's the matter?" he said with a puzzled look on his face.  "Nothing, nothing's a matter...I'm just watching." she said as she leaned closer to him.  "Well, if you are watching...do you like what you see?" he said flirtatiously.  He could see her eyes undressing him as she looked up and down..."I like....I like very much." she replied as she teased him when she touched his bare chest.  Zander knew what she wanted, cause he wanted it to, but today was their wedding day and it was getting late.  "Come on...let's go we' re late..." he said as he kissed her quickly and stood up from the bed.  "Late for what?.." she asked confused about what he had said.  "Oh, I see now you don't want to marry me?" he said with a grin.  "Marry you!...here..now!" she replied as she jumped up out of bed.  "Yes now...the minister should be here in a few...let's schussel.." he replied as he strolled towards the bathroom for a shower.  "Now you decide to tell me!....Why didn't you say anything last night?" she replied as she stood in the doorway of the bathroom.  "Well, cause last night we were kind of busy..." he said as he cleared his throat and motioned for her to close the door..  "Yeah I guess we were...weren't we?" she replied as she watched him remove his boxers.

"What am I going to wear?!" she thought to herself as she noticed something hanging on the back of the bedroom door.  "What in the world...." she mumbled as she took the garment bag off the hook.  She took the bag in her hands and laid it across the bed.  She started to unzip the bag and noticed the white wedding gown that was inside.  She took the bag off and tossed it to the side as she stood in awe of the white simple wedding dress that lay before her.  "Sonny." she said to herself as she heard the bathroom door open.  She was in such awe of the dress, she didn't even notice that Zander had come out of the bathroom in only a towel.  "Whatcha got there, Em?" he asked as he came over and stood beside her.  "Oh, uh...my wedding dress it looks like." she replied as she noticed he was dripping water all over the floor.  "It's beautiful." he replied as he looked at her smiling.  "Yeah, it is.  Sonny has good taste." she said as she began taking it off the hanger.  "Sonny?...Sonny nothin'...I have good taste." he said as she looked at him.  "You.  You bought this for me?...." she asked as she held the dress up in front of her admiring it in the full length mirror that stood in the corner.  "I thought you might need something nice to wear when we exchange our vows this morning on the beach." he said with a grin.  "On the beach?..." she replied as she turned around.  "Yeah...Oh did I forget to tell you that too?"...he said with a devilish grin.  "Zander?!...I had just assumed that we were going...." she started to say when he said..."Going to what...get married in a church here on the island like a traditional couple would?...Em, if you haven't noticed we are not a traditional couple."  "Yeah, we certainly are not that.." she replied as she chuckled at the thought.  "So, are you gonna put it on or just stand there holding it.." he said with grin.  "Yeah, of course I am...but first I need a shower." she replied as she layed it across the bed and headed for the bathroom.  He watched her as she walked across the room...he couldn't wait to have her as his wife.

As she closed the bathroom door, he took his clothes he had planned out of the closet.  He had arranged everything a few days before they left Port Charles.  The minister should be here shortly and they were to be married on the beach at 10 o'clock this morning.  It was already 9 and knowing Emily she would need the whole hour to get ready. He dried off the drops of water that remained on his skin and he began to get dressed.  She came out of the bathroom as he slipped on his black dress pants.  "Here let me help you with that.." she said as she came over and helped him with the suspenders that were attached to the waistband of the pants.  He noticed that she now was only wearing a towel and her hair was wet from the shower.  "I can get this...you just get dressed and I'll meet you down stairs..okay." he said as he kissed her lightly on her lips that were moist with water droplets.  "Okay...I'll be down in a sec.." she said as she watched him walk out the door and towards the stairs.  He knew that that wasn't true...a sec...with Emily...an hour at least, he thought as a grin came over his face.

Emily stood in front of the full length mirror as her towel dropped to the floor.  She stood there staring at her bare body and as she turned sideways she noticed she was starting to show.  Her pregnancy was progressing nicely and Dr. Meadows had told her she was in excellant health.  The baby's heartbeat was just fine and she should have no problems carrying this baby to term she thought as she rubbed her hand lightly over her little baby belly and smiled.  But now, she needed to get dressed and marry the man who was waiting for her downstairs.  As she began to slip her dress over her head as she heard Zander calling from down stairs.  She hadn't been that long, what was he yelling for her for...."In a sec!" she yelled down the stairs.  "That's what you said 10 minutes ago, Em.." he replied as she turned the hair dryer on to dry her hair.  With the dryer on she couldn't hear anything...and that is why she didn't notice that he had made his way back up to the bedroom and stood in the doorway waiting for her.  When the dryer was turned off, she layed it down and was surprised to see him standing there watching her.  "Come here, let me help you with that..." he said as he walked over and started zipping up the back zipper of her dress.  As she pulled her auburn hair to the front, he zipped the zipper the last few notches.  "There...all zipped up. Are ya ready...Ms. Quartermaine." he asked as she turned around and fell into his arms.  "I am...Mr. Smith." she replied as her lips found his.  He couldn't keep his hands or eyes off of her.  She looked amazingly beautiful in her white wedding dress as he just stood there in awe of her presence.  "Are you coming..geezsh?" she asked as he was watching her walk towards the door of the bedroom.  "I'm right behind you.." he replied as he followed her out the door and down the stairs.

The minister was waiting for them on perfect spot Zander had picked out as he and Emily walked hand and hand towards him.  Those butterflies she had felt in the doctor's office had returned and her stomach turned to knots as she was getting nervous and anxious about exchanging vows with Zander.  She had wanted this for so long, and the day had finally arrived when she and Zander would say "I do".  She was just hoping that she wouldn't wake up from this dream and find herself back in her room at the Quartermaines.  He looked down at her and noticed she looked a little pale.  "Are you alright..Em?" he asked as wrapped his arm around her.  "Yeah,...I'm fine..I guess it's just nerves." she replied as she smiled back at him.  "There is no reason to be nervous..I'll be with you every step of the way.." he said with a grin.

"Good morning..Mr. Smith." the minister said as he extended his hand.  "Good morning.." Zander answered as he shook hands with him.  "This must be your lovely bride?...No?" he asked.  "Hi...I'm Emily.." she said as she shook the hand of the minister as well.  "Nice to meet you..Emily.  I'm Father Ramirez." the minister said with a smile.  "If the two of you are ready, we can begin.." he asked as Zander took her hand.  Emily squeezed Zander's hand and smiled..."We're ready.." she said as she released the breath she had been holding.  It was perfect...her and Zander stood on the white sand beach only a few feet from the ocean as they held hands and the minister spoke about the life they would be living as one.  The ocean breezes flirted with her auburn hair and flowed through the bottom half of her dress.  The sun glistened off the water as the surf came towards the shore and as the minister asked her if she would repeat these words.  "I, Emily Quartermaine...take thee Zander to be my husband from this day forward.  I promise to love, honor and cherish him till death do us part." Emily repeated word for word as the minister instructed as she looked into Zander's brown eyes.  "Zander.." the minister replied.  "I, Zander Smith...take thee Emily to be my wife from this day forward. I promise to love, honor, and cherish her till death do us part." He replied as he smiled at her.  "The rings?"  the minister asked as he extended his hand.  Zander reached in his pants pocket to retrieve the two gold wedding bands he had.  He placed them in the minister's hand as he blessed the rings that lay before him.  "Now take her ring and place it on her left hand and repeat after me." the minister said as he extended his hand towards Zander.  Zander reached for Emily's gold band with one hand and took her left hand with the other.  "With this ring...I thee wed." Father Ramirez said.  "With this ring..I thee wed." Zander repeated as he slipped the wedding band on Emily's left hand.  "Emily...now take his ring and repeat after me." Emily reached for the gold band with one hand as she took Zander's left hand with the other.  "With this ring...I thee wed." Emily looked at Zander and repeated..."With this ring..I thee wed."  As they took a hold of each other's hands, the minister spoke a blessing and pronounced them man and wife.  "You may kiss your bride..Mr. Smith." he said as a smile came over his face.  Zander wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned down as his mouth found hers.  They stood on the beach embracing for a few moments as the surf rippled behind them.  Father Ramirez stood admiring the love they shared.

Zander and Emily walked hand and hand back to the house as Sonny's guards met them at the front door.  One of the guards pulled Zander aside to speak to him for a few moments, and Emily wondered what was up.  She walked inside the house as Zander stood conversing with the guard.  A few moments later he walked in and asked her to sit, he need to talk with her.  She sat admiring the gold wedding band on her left hand as he sat down beside her.  She wondered what was so important and got anxious about what he was about to say.  "Emily...your parents are on a rampage back in Port Charles." Zander said as he noticed her smiles became frowns.  "Why do are they doing this to us?" she asked as he noticed she was getting upset.  "Look, they don't know that we left Port Charles...Rick has strict instructions and he wouldn't crack if his life depended on it." Zander said as he held her hand.  "Now, we can stay here on the island as long as we want, or we can return to Port Charles.  It's up to you...Em?" She looked at him as her eyes welled up with tears.  "We don't have to go back, right?"...she asked. "No we don't...Sonny has everything under control there, but I thought it would be best if you knew what was going on at home." She looked at him and sighed.."Zander I really don't want to deal with them right now, I really don't.  I just want to spend a few days with you.  Right here in your arms." she replied as she wrapped her arms around him and rested her head on his shoulder.  "Okay, so we stay.  I'll call Sonny and let him know that we are staying and that he should do what he thinks is best for the situation at home."  "Zander..." she said as he reached for the cell phone that laid on the table.  "May I..." she said as she reached for the phone.  Zander handed her the phone thinking that she may want to call her parents.  She flipped open the phone and dialed a number into the pad.  "Elizabeth! It's Em..." she said into the phone.  He knew her only to well...she couldn't go a day without talking to Elizabeth.  "Guess what just happened?" Emily said as she was again Zander's blushing bride.  "Zander and I got married on the beach no 10 minutes ago."..."Yes you heard me right...MARRIED!!" she said as her face lit up.  Emily stood and walked across the room as Zander sat and watched the anger and the disappointment dissipate.  "Now, Elizabeth you can't tell anyone.  I mean no one." ... "Okay, maybe one.." she replied as Zander knew she meant Lucky.  " I heard my parents are on a rampage there in Port Charles.." "Well, good let them worry..."  "Zander and I are taking a few days for ourselves for a change...and I will call you when we return.."  "No, I can't tell you where I am...let's just say that I have found that little piece of Heaven everyone keeps talking about.." "Okay..now remember no one besides Lucky knows that Zander and I got married." "Alright I'll talk to you in a few days....bye Elizabeth."   Emily flipped the phone closed and walked back over and sat down next to her husband.  "Okay now you can call Sonny.." she said as she handed him the phone.  "What?..." she said as he smiled at her. "I figured you would call Elizabeth.." he replied as he flipped open the phone to make his call to Sonny.  "Zander....you know me too well..." she replied with a grin.

Zander stood up and walked across the room to make his call to Sonny.  Emily sat and admired the gold wedding band on her left hand that was now partnering her diamond engagement ring he had given her so many months ago.  They were officially married and there was nothing her parents or anyone else could do to split them up.  From what she gathered from the conversation Zander was having with Sonny, no one knew that they were not in Port Charles..except for Elizabeth and Lucky and she knew they wouldn't say anything to jeopardize this plan of theirs.  See, she and Zander had planned to come to the island to marry without anyone knowing so they would now hold the wild card if her parents tried any of their antics to split them up once and for all.  Not this time, she was holding all the cards and she wasn't going to be intimidated by her family.  She would pull out all the stops if she had to.  And she wasn't afraid to use her influence with Sonny to get what she wanted...and that was to be a happy family with Zander and the baby she was carrying.  She was now protecting what was hers and she was not going to allow anyone to take it away from her.  They have come to far and their love would survive anything the Quartermaines were about to throw at them.

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Back in Port Charles, the Quartermaine's were planning their strategy against Zander and Sonny.  Although they were not intimidated by the mob boss and his associates they were worried about having Emily stuck in the middle of this war.

Alan and Edward met with lawyers and more lawyers trying everything they could do to keep Emily away from the deviants she was associated with.  The lawyers had told them since she was 18 years old, she was legally an adult and there wasn't much they could do legally.  Things would go from bad to worse if she and Zander got married because the only loophole the Quartermaine's had was that she was still their daughter and her closest kin.  They could have her evaluated to say that she was incompetent and that the only thing for them to do would to take custody of her and send her somewhere for treatment.  Unbeknownst to the Quartermaine's, she and Zander are married and their plans were sure to backfire once Emily had returned home.  Alan and Edward were hatching a plan that would rock Sonny's underground world and he wouldn't know what hit him.

Although Sonny at this particular moment was taking precautions of his own.  He too was involved in meetings with his people to make sure there were no legal or technical loopholes that the Quartermaine's could find.  And he made sure that Zander, Emily and their baby would be protected against the Quartermaine's and their powerful influence.  Sonny knew that the Quartermaine's wouldn't back down when it came to Emily and especially now that she was carrying Zander's child.  They were more determined then ever to get her away from him.  He had no doubts that he would protect them and would do everything in his power to keep them from the Quartermaine's wrath.

As Port Charles got ready for the showdown between Corinthos and the Quartermaine's, Elizabeth and Lucky were as happy as they could be.  They were now married about 3 months and it made it all more special because now Zander and Emily were married too.  The four of them had become such close friends over the last two years it was amazing.  Lucky never thought in a million years that he would say that Zander Smith was a good friend and that he was a good man.  He protected, supported and loved Emily.  He would lay down his life for Emily and Lucky respected that.  Lucky would do the same for Elizabeth and he knew that he loved her as much as Zander loved Emily.

Elizabeth explained the situation with Lucky about Emily and that she and Zander would be back in a few days.  He was to tell no one about the phone call and that Zander and Emily were married.  She explained to him that this was a significant part of their plan to alienate the family and to keep them far away from the baby Emily was carrying.  Emily would explain more when they returned home in a few days.  Elizabeth knew that she and only 2 other people knew that Zander and Emily had gotten married and they were Sonny and Jason.  So it was crucial that no one else found out.  Lucky agreed that he wouldn't tell a soul about the elopement so there was no need to worry about what they were thinking.  Zander and Emily would be fine and their lives as well as their baby's life would be protected.  Protected by those who cared about them the most.  Sonny and Jason would make sure of that.

As plans were in the works in Port Charles between Sonny and Jason, Alexis worked feverishly to assist Sonny with regard to the legality of the situation.  She had done her research on other cases that were held in the same regards to Emily's.   Alexis had found the same loophole as the Quartermaine's lawyers had.  The Quartermaine's would have to prove that Emily was incompetent and that she needed to be placed somewhere that would provide treatment.  However, now that she and Zander were married there wasn't much they could do, but try to claim rights to the child.  Alexis had wanted to avoid another Carly and AJ fiasco so she searched for cases that would assist them against the chance that this was the road the Quartermaine's would take in their fight against Zander.  The child would be his number one weakness, next to Emily.  And if the Quartermaine's couldn't latch onto Emily the child would become their next target.

Time passed as Sonny, Jason and Alexis worked hard to hatch a plan of their own against the Quartermaine's.  The time was drawing near that Zander and Emily would return from the island and Sonny knew the Quartermaine's would be there to unleash their anger on them.  The plan had to come off without a hitch and the three of them had to stay alert and on their guard at all times.  Knowing the Quartermaine's as the three of them do, it was more than likely they would strike when they least expected it.  The three of them waited for the Quartermaine's to strike as the eleventh hour came down on Zander and Emily's return.  Jason, Sonny and Alexis arrived at the airport to await the arrival of the plane.

Jason and Sonny departed from the limo as Alexis sat anxiously awaiting for the plane to arrive.  As Sonny and Jason waited outside the car aware of their surroundings and cautiously watching for the slightest sign of trouble.  They knew the Quartermaine's had no idea about Zander and Emily's trip to the island and they wanted it to stay that way.  At this moment, Sonny was holding all the cards and he didn't want to gamble with lives at risk.  Jason noticed the plane that was circling the airport, and that it had began to make it's descent onto the runway.  They knew that their plan would work and that they had to let the happily married couple in on what was about to happen.  Jason certainly agreed as did Alexis that Zander and Emily had to be told, it was crucial that neither of them made any moves towards the Quartermaine's until they were told to.  It was for their own protection and certainly Zander would understand that.  Emily and the baby had become top priority in his life and nothing was going to keep them from him.

The plane landed and taxied down the runway towards the hanger where Sonny and Jason waited patiently.  Once the plane came to a complete stop the stairs were dropped down to the platform so Zander and Emily could disembark.  The happy couple walked hand and hand down the stairs laughing and just enjoying each other's company.  Sonny thought it was cruel to ruin the mood, but they had business to attend to.  Jason and Sonny approached them as they walked off the platform towards the limo that was waiting.  Zander noticed Sonny and Jason walking towards them with a purpose and a look of concern came over him.  Emily left go of his hand and rushed to embrace Jason.  She fell into his arms as he wrapped his arms around her tightly...he was so glad to see her back in Port Charles safe and sound.  As Emily embraced Jason, Sonny met Zander and the two of them shook hands as they walked back towards the limo.  The four of them walked to the limo as Jason, Sonny and Zander looked around as if to see if anyone was watching them as they assisted Emily into the car.  Alexis was waiting for her as she leaned in the back of the limo and got in.  "Alexis! .... It is so good to see you!" Emily said as she made herself comfortable in the seat.  "It's good to see you to..Emily." Alexis replied as the boys got into the car with them and closed the doors.  Sonny knocked a few times on the glass partition and the driver started to drive away from the hanger.  The mood had took a serious direction as the guys looked at each other with such intensity.  Emily being the new bride was beaming with joy as Zander got a intense look on his face.  "What's wrong?...What happened?" he asked as he sat forward in the seat and interlaced his fingers.  "There is business to attend to, Zander and for now the two of you will be staying with Alexis. " Sonny said as he looked at him with a strong glare.  Zander knew in that moment there was something wrong and something was about to happen.  He reached down and took Emily's hand in his as to prepare her for some bad news.  They looked at each other and Zander's eyes told the story, Emily didn't even have to ask what was going on.

As they rode back to Sonny's penthouse, he explained the plan and what was about to happen once the Quartermaine's knew they had returned home.  Sonny and Jason tried to explain what was happening in Port Charles while they had been visiting the island.  Emily's face fell ashen as she heard the happenings with her family, and she couldn't believe it.  She would of never guessed they would go this far, but they were determined to take her away from Zander.  Now, that she and Zander were married the family would try so much harder to destroy what they had.  She and Zander had agreed that this was the only way to keep what they had and that they would stop at nothing to keep the Quartermaine's away from their child.  Emily loved her family, but she loved the family she created with Zander more.  She had chosen her life with Zander over her family months ago and the Quartermaine's just couldn't accept or respect her decision.  As she sat there next to Zander, she felt her anger and resentment building against her family.  He had looked over at her as he noticed the look of revenge and resentment in her eyes.  This was a part of her he had never seen before, and became concerned for her and the baby.  He knew this would not be good for either of them but he also knew there was no talking her out of this.  She wanted to hatch this plan on her family as much as anyone did that was sitting in the limo.  The look in her eyes intensified as the limo passed the Quartermaine mansion as they headed back into Port Charles.  He knew right then and there that she would stop at nothing to protect her own.  He had always done the protecting but it was now her turn and he knew there was no holding her back.

Everyone in Port Charles were prepared for the battle between the Quartermaine's and Sonny Corinthos, but they were not prepared for the war that was about to be unleashed.
 
 

Chapter 8

Zander and Emily were back in Port Charles only a few days before her family began their aggression towards them.  Zander had become concerned about Emily's overall health and the health of their baby.  The stress and overexertion of the battle that was brewing was certainly no good for the two of them.  Zander had tried his damnedest to keep her protected from her family, Emily was now in her second trimester of the pregnancy and shouldn't be exposed to their attacks.  She was way to fragile and it was crucial that she be well protected physically and emotionally.

Sonny and Jason both had reassured them that everything was in motion and it would certainly get worse before it would get better.  While Zander was assisting Sonny with strategy, Alexis was with Emily comforting, reassuring and trying to alleviate her fears and concerns.  Zander was so appreciative to Alexis for her help with Emily.  Alexis cared for both of them and had grown surprisingly fond of them.

A few weeks had passed by and Zander felt that he was again overstaying their welcome with Alexis.  He felt that Emily would be more comfortable at home in the loft.  A place she would be more familiar with and felt it would be time for them to move home.  Zander discussed his concerns with Sonny and he had thought it a bad idea for them to move back to the loft.  But he did agree that Emily would be more relaxed and comfortable back at the loft.  Sonny had stepped up the guards at the loft and had requested that Rick drive Zander and Emily back home.  He really didn't agree with the request from Zander but he would take the appropriate steps to make sure they would be safe in their own home.  Zander and Emily packed up their things from Alexis and took the elevator down to the parking garage with Rick and Johnny in toe.  Zander was trying to reassure Emily as they drove back to the loft.  She had been so upset over the last few weeks, he had noticed the change in her emotionally as well as physically.  She needed rest and some down time from the situation with her family.  All the stress and anxiety was not good for her at all and Zander would make sure that she was well taken care of.

The limo arrived outside the loft as two of Sonny's guards welcomed the couple home.  As Zander assisted Emily up the stairs, Rick followed behind them with their bags.  "It was so nice to be home" Zander thought as he opened the door of the loft.  He threw his keys on the kitchen table and led Emily to the bed.  He assisted her into bed as Rick placed down the bags at the front door.  Rick stood for a brief moment waiting instructions from Zander.  Zander and Rick spoke a few moments about the situation and he left explicit instructions for Rick and the other guards who were on duty.  There were to be no interruptions, except for Sonny or Jason and that no one other than Sonny, Jason and Alexis knew that he and Emily had returned home to the loft.  So they were not expecting anyone to visit.  The guards were to stay alert to anything suspicious and to inform him if there was.  As Rick nodded in agreement he turned and took his post outside the door, Emily's cell phone rang.  Zander took the phone from her bag to answer it.  "Hello..." Zander said as he flipped open the phone.  He figured it was Elizabeth calling to check on Emily.  He really didn't expect the voice he heard and stood in disbelief.  "May I speak with my daughter?.." the voice asked as a shocked look came over Zander's face.  It was Monica, and it sounded to Zander as if she were crying and upset.  "Monica, look...I really have no idea why you would be calling Emily.  Your family has done nothing but upset her and she really doesn't need that right now." he replied as he gazed across the room at Emily resting on the bed. "Zander, please don't make this anymore difficult than it already is...all I...all we want is to have Emily back in our lives.  That's all.  Is it that difficult to understand." she replied in desperation.  "Emily doesn't need the arguments and verbal battles that ensue between the family.  She is at a critical point in her pregnancy and she shouldn't have to deal with the family who literally dumped her when she needed them the most."..he replied as the tone of his voice became forceful.  "Alan and I only want what is best for Emily and our grand-child...can't you see that?" she replied as Zander moved the phone conversation to the back stairway so he wouldn't disturb Emily.  "What is BEST for Emily?..since when?...since you dropped her off in California in boarding school or was it the time you pretty much kicked her out of the house?  Now I can see that you love her, but you certainly don't respect her opinions or her wishes.  If you would, maybe....just maybe things would be different." he said as Rick turned around as if to hear that he was getting loud.  "That is just not true...not true at all." she replied as Zander could hear the tears that she was crying.  "If you love Emily like you say you do...then stop all of this, stop this madness before it goes to far that you can't stop it.  And you certainly know what I am talking about...don't know you?" Zander replied as he walked down the stairs.  He motioned for Rick to stand post at the door of the loft.  "Zander, look this turn of events was none of my doing....this was Edward and his vengeance on you for taking Emily away from us." Monica replied.  "I took Emily from you?...No, Monica I think you guys did that all on your own when the family sent her to California.  If you remember correctly I brought her back home to you, and what did I get in return....a jail cell.  No thank you, no appreciation what so ever for returning her safely, because if I wouldn't have gone out there, she would of hitch-hiked home.  But no one would give me five minutes to explain myself, you jumped to conclusions again." he said as his hands clenched into fists.  The more he conversed with her the angrier he got.  He was hoping that Monica would see the light and tell Edward to back off before it was too late.  "Alan and I didn't call Taggert, Edward called him...Edward was also the one who convinced us to send Emily to boarding school, Alan and I had regrets as soon as we came home without her.  Zander I swear we didn't know that Edward had hatched this plan, but now it is too late." she said.  "Monica it isn't too late...it isn't too late for you and Alan to stop it in it's tracks.  I really do believe that you and Alan love her, but I love her too.  And I will protect her with everything I have.  My family means everything to me, and no one..not even her family is going to take that away from me!" Zander said with anger.  "Would you be willing to allow me to come see her?.." she asked as the tone in her voice softened.  "Monica, it is not up to me...it is up to Emily.  At this time I really don't think she wants to see any of her family.  I know that the volatile situation that has arisen over the past few weeks have really taken a toll on her and she is no condition to see anyone." he replied a with worry.  "Will you tell her that her mother would like to see her?  And that she can call me anytime, day or night.....and Zander, Alan and I are sorry that Edward has stirred up all kinds of trouble for the two of you." she said as Zander rolled his eyes.  "Monica, I am not promising anything, but I will tell her you called.  It is up to Emily if she wants to see you and now I have left Emily alone for too long now...I must go and make sure she is okay." he replied as he headed back up the stairs towards the loft.  "Thank you Zander for talking to me and letting me know how she is .." Monica replied.  "Don't thank me yet...." Zander said as he flipped the phone closed and went back inside the apartment.

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Emily had awoken from her nap and was sitting at the kitchen table when Zander walked back into the apartment.  She noticed he was carrying her cell phone in his hand as she took a drink of OJ she had in front of her.  "Who called?..." she asked as he sat down at the table with her.  "Your mother...she wanted to talk to you..I told her you were resting and I wouldn't disturb you." he replied as he took a sip from her glass.  "I just don't get it...why would she call when the family has created this situation.." she replied as she reached across the table and took Zander's hand.  "From what I gathered from the conversation, your grandfather is behind the battle that has erupted.  Monica and Alan didn't have a hand in it...." he replied as he rose from the chair.  "And you believe her....Emily asked surprisingly.  "I didn't say that...I'm not sure who to believe.  I don't know them as well as you do, Em." he replied as he stood behind her massaging her shoulders.  "Hon, could you please pass me my phone?" she asked as she leaned her head back and looked up at him.  "You're gonna call her?...Aren't you?" he asked as he handed the phone to her.  "I want to hear it from her, I want to hear what she has to say...I owe her that much..don't I" she said as she flipped open the cell phone.  "Em, you know where I stand with your family and I am not going to tell you what to do here.  It's up to you." he replied as he turned walked into the living room to give her some privacy.

Emily dialed the number and sat calmly in her seat.  She certainly didn't look calm, she looked concerned about what the conversation may bring.  But Zander knew that she had to do what she needed to and if it meant talking to her mother, then that is what she needed to do.  The phone had rang three times before someone at the Quartermaine's picked it up.  "Good evening Quartermaine residence.." the voice replied on the other end.  "Reginald...it's Emily.  Is my mother there?" Emily asked as she seemed to become nervous just for asking it.  "Yes, Emily she is..hold on and I will get her." Reginald replied as he set the receiver down on the table.  Emily was preparing herself for the worse, she knew that this conversation could turn bad.  "Emily?!..ah, sweetheart how are you?!" Monica replied as she brought the receiver to her ear.  "I'm fine mom, really....Zander told me that you called." she replied as she gazed at Zander who was sitting across the room on the sofa.  "Well, I'm so happy to hear your voice.  It has been quite a while since we have seen you or heard from you, Emily.  We were worried about you." Monica replied as Alan came into the room to listen in on the conversation.  "Mom, I thought I owed you this much, so say what you have to say..." she replied as she sipped her OJ.  "Emily, I would like to see you.  I asked Zander if I could and he said it was up to you if you wanted to see me or not." Monica replied as she stood hoping that her daughter would agree to see her.  "Just you...no one else?..she asked as she sat contemplating the thought of seeing her mother after all these months of alienating her and the family.  They had created such a situation between each other and it would be a long time till Emily could face the entire family again.  Alan nudged Monica to agree as he was listening to Emily's request.  "Alright Emily, just me...I promise.  I can come to the loft to see you, I am sure you will feel more comfortable there than anywhere else."  Monica replied as she showed a positive response to Alan that Emily had accepted the request to see her.  There was a short pause of silence till Emily comprehended what she was about to suggest.  "Alright Mom, I will agree to see you...but I am not promising anything other than pleasantries.  Can you come right now before I change my mind?" Emily asked as she shrugged her shoulders in Zander's direction.  "Okay, now is fine...I'll be over in a few minutes." Monica replied as she breathed a sigh of relief.  "Okay, I'll see you in a few minutes.  Rick will be waiting when you get here, so don't be alarmed when he greets the car." Emily said as she rose from the chair.  "Okay..bye Em." Monica replied as she placed the receiver in the cradle.  Emily closed her cell phone as she walked across the floor towards the sofa.  Zander rose from the sofa and met her half way.  She reached out to him as she fell into his strong arms.  She was safe and she knew he would protect her from everything that was on the other side of that door.  "Do you want me here when your mom comes to visit?" Zander asked as he looked down into her brown eyes.  "Please, I don't know how I would handle being alone with her....and I don't want her to think she can manipulate the situation without you here." Emily said as she reached towards him.  His mouth found hers as he kissed her softly. They stood for a brief moment in each others arms before Rick opened the door and announced that Monica had arrived to meet with Emily.

Emily who was now about 6 months along in her pregnancy and was certainly showing she was with child turned around as Monica stepped through the door into the apartment.  Monica stood in amazement to see her daughter all grown up.  Neither knew quite what to do, and both were desperately wanting to embrace each other.  As the two stood looking at each other, Zander excused himself to make a few phone calls while they talked.  Emily made the first move and extended her hand to her mom.  Monica took her hand as Emily led her to the sofa to sit down.  "So how are you?...How are you feeling?..." Monica asked as Emily got comfortable by leaning against the arm rest of the sofa and faced her mother.  "I'm fine..I'm doing okay...the baby is fine and well, Zander is taking very good care of me." Emily said as Monica's eyes wandered around the apartment.  "Good, that's good.  This is a very nice apartment the two of you have...." Monica said as she felt a little awkward and really didn't know what to say.  She was trying so hard not to say the wrong thing and trying not to say something that would give Emily the wrong impression of her visit.  "Thanks, mom....we live very comfortably here.  Zander is providing for us very well.  He works very hard to give me a life a deserve." Emily said as she noticed Zander across the room on the phone.  Knowing Zander, he is probably on the phone with Sonny.  Monica noticed too that he was on the phone and wondering who he was talking with.  "I didn't come here to upset you...I came here to see how you are doing and to tell you that your grandmother is worried about you.  She would like to see you if that would be possible." Monica said as Emily turned her gaze to her and away from Zander.  "I miss her so much, and I would love to visit with her, but grandfather...I really don't want to hear the accusations, the manipulations, and the resentment from him." Emily replied as she reached for her mother's hand.  "Emily, we just want what's best for you.  And I think over the past year we have grown to accept the fact that you and Zander love each other and well, are going to be together whether we like it or not." Monica replied as she looked towards the child her daughter was carrying.  Emily facial expression told Monica that something was happening inside her.  "What....what's wrong, Em?" Monica asked as Emily placed her own hand on her rounded belly.  "Here..." Emily said as she took Monica's hand and placed it where her hand had been.  As Monica held her hand against her daughter, she felt the life that was growing inside of her kick something fierce.  As she looked at her daughter, she felt her eyes start to tear.  Zander who was now off the phone just sat watching the two of them from across the room.  A mother and daughter bonding moment was taking place, but he was concerned that it wouldn't last very long.  Emily certainly needed her mother now more than ever but the rest of the family, he certainly could live without.  Emily knew that she was so desperately in need of her family, but how could she excuse their behavior over the last 2 years.  It was reprehensible what they have done to keep her and Zander apart.  And now that she was carrying his child made things so much worse.  She didn't know how she could forgive the family for what they have done, but she didn't want to keep them from her child.  She was happy to see her mother and to have her share her pregnancy with her.  She was in need of their love once again, but didn't know how to turn things around.  "How is dad?...Does he know you came over to see me?" Emily asked as Monica 's hand still rest against her.  "Yeah, he knows I'm here..and he was glad to see that you accepted the request." Monica said as she pulled her back.  "Mom, if things were different you wouldn't need my permission to come visit...?" Emily said as she moved closer towards her mother.  "Em, I don't know what else to do, tell me....what do you want me to do?" she replied.  "I need for the family to stop the madness and to accept the fact that Zander and I are going to be together." Emily replied as she noticed her wedding band.  There had been so much stuff going on lately she completely forgot about the wedding bands her and Zander were wearing.  She was hoping that her mother didn't notice.  "Emily, we would like nothing more then to make amends with the two of you, however you know how your grandfather is and I am not trying to make excuses for him because he has really acted like jackass in this situation but I know that your father and I would like to try to mend things.  If you are willing..?" Monica said as Emily motioned for Zander.  Zander rose from his chair and walked over towards the sofa where they had been sitting.  He knelt down beside Emily as she looked into his eyes.  Monica saw the love they felt for each other and knew that the only way her and Alan were going to make this work was to abide by the rules that Zander and Emily would place down.

Zander placed his hand on Emily's knee and gazed into her soft brown eyes, and he knew that she needed her parents now and would be willing to slowly bring them back into her life...if that is what she wanted.  There was no way they were going to forget or forgive the Quartermaine's for what they had put them through over the last 2 years but it was time to bury the past....in the past.  He and Emily were starting a new life together as man and wife, they have a child on the way...the family was either going to accept it or not.  They would find out soon enough if a relationship with her parents could be rebuilt.

Emily had agreed to spend some time with her mother and her father, if only on one condition.  They meet at the loft and she would be able to see her grandmother without going to the house.  This was the first step in trying to rebuilt what they had lost a year ago.  She didn't make any promises or guarantees that this agreement would work itself out, but it was a start.  Still not knowing that her daughter and Zander had gotten married...Monica was just happy to say that she was able to make some progress in the short time she visited her.  If it meant a few conditions needed to be met to visit with Emily, then she would do what she needed to to do it.  Emily was surprised to even hear herself even agree to such a thing, but she need some peace between her new family and her parents.  The fighting and the attacks had gone on long enough....she couldn't take the stress and strain of the on going battles between them.  She was determined to carry this baby to term and to have a healthy little boy or girl for her and Zander to love.  Her pregnancy had already been affected by the stress of the situation and she just wanted to continue the last few months of her pregnancy stress free.

Emily and Monica sat a little longer in conversation before Monica noticed that Emily was getting tired.  As Monica rose from the sofa, Zander assisted Emily in coming to her feet.  Monica started to put on her coat as Rick opened the door to the apartment, which startled Monica that he really did that sort of thing.  Monica turned around as Alan walked into the apartment.  Emily shocked to see her father standing in her living room didn't know quite what to say.  She felt Zander stiffen as she noticed he all of a sudden he became protective of her.  "What do you want?.." Zander asked as he stared at Alan.  "I wanted to see what type of place my daughter has been subject to live in since she moved out of the mansion!...You have a problem with that?!" Alan said as the anger rushed over him.  Zander immediately left Emily's side and walked over to where Alan was standing with a purpose as he stood nose to nose with Em's father.  "Look, what I have a problem with is you coming into our home uninvited...plus you have the nerve to tell me that I am not providing a good enough environment for your daughter...where do you get off telling me anything...who do you think you are?!"  Zander said as he felt anger and resentment come over him.  It took all of what Alan had not to do what he was thinking as his fist clenched and his jaw tightened.  "I am this girl's father and I will do what I have to do to protect her from the likes of you!" Alan said staring down Zander's nose.  "Well first of all let's get a few things straight right off the bat...we love each other..we are having a baby in 3 months....and I will be the one protecting her from the likes of you!" Zander said as poked Alan with force in his chest.  Emily and Monica stood there knowing that this was escalating to something that was going to get ugly.  Zander's emotions are flaring about this time and he was not one to back down to anyone.  He wasn't the least bit intimidated by Alan's stature or his influence.  "Alan, let's go...you've done enough for one night..." Monica replied as she took a hold of Alan's arm to lead him out the door.  "No! Monica we are going to settle this little problem once and for all...right now!" Alan replied as he yanked his arm away from her.  Zander keeping his eye on Emily and making sure she was out of harm's way from anything that was about to happen, was gearing up for a showdown between him and Alan.  "Yeah, it's about time we settle this...it has been a long time coming and I am really going to enjoy this!" Zander said as he made a step forward toward Alan.

Alan saw what was coming and made the mistake by throwing the first punch in this altercation.  What he threw missed and Zander came back and drove him back against the wall.  He had Alans lapels clenched tightly in his hands as held him back with force.  Emily and Monica stood their quietly not knowing how to react and completely in shock that this situation had come down to a physical fight between Zander and Alan.  Zander was hoping that putting the fear into Alan "GodFather style" like Sonny had done to him oh so long ago, might just make him back off from the situation.  "Now, I am telling you once and only once...you are very lucky that you are still standing.  I am not a very patient person and right about now you are working on the only nerve I have left.  And I really didn't want to have it out with you because you are Emily's father but you have left me no choice.  I will protect my family from the likes of you or anyone else who decides to try to take them away from me.  Nobody but nobody comes into my home and talks to me that way...nobody!" Zander replied as he strengthen his grip on Alan's jacket.  Alan didn't seem to be affected by what was just said and just stood there with his hands wrapped around Zander's wrists staring with contemptment.  "She is my daughter...damn it!  I have the right to do what I think is right when it comes to Emily! And no one, not even a deviant like you will tell me otherwise! Alan replied to Zander's threat.  Zander looked back at Emily and he noticed that her hand was placed on the side of her belly as if something was wrong.  "Em...are you okay?! Zander asked as he released his grip from Alan's collar.  Seeing there was something wrong, her parents rushed to be by her side.  Emily had slumped forward as to give the impression she was having contractions but it was way to early the baby wasn't due for another three months.  Zander without hesitations swept her up in his arms and carried her towards the door.  Monica opened the door as Rick turned to the sound of the opening of the door.  "She needs to go to the hospital now!..." Zander said as he made his way down the stairs with her in his arms.  Rick followed him and opened the limo door as he climbed in with her.  "We'll meet you there!" Alan said as they descended down the stair way and headed to their car.  This was all his fault...if anything happened to that baby, he would never forgive himself...never.

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Zander had made a phone call to the emergency room to let them know the situation and when they arrived there were nurses and the doctor on call waiting for them.  Emily was looking no better than when they left the apartment, and it seemed the contractions were getting stronger with every passing minute.  Rick opened the door of the limo and Zander carried her into the emergency room and laid her down the on gurney that was waiting.  She looked up at him with concern in her eyes as their hands released and the gurney was rushed into a restricted area.  Zander stood outside the swinging doors as he saw his wife being rushed into an examine room.  He felt so helpless, he just stood there worried about her and the baby.  All he could do was wait and pray that they would be okay.

As he turned around he noticed Alan and Monica come in through the automatic doors of the ER.  All the anger that he had built up inside of him overtook his whole being.  Monica rushed over to him to ask about Emily's condition when he by passed her and walked right up to Alan and stood once again face to face with her father.  "You better pray to God that she is alright!" Zander said as he glared intensely into Alan's eyes.  "Because if something happens to her or my child, you sir..will have to deal with me!"  Alan stood there and knew Zander spoke the truth, it was his fault she was here.  Alan would never forgive himself if anything happened to his daughter or grand-child and nothing that Zander could do to him could be any worse then living his life with knowing he was at fault.

Zander and Emily's parents waited for someone..anyone to come out of the restricted area with news about Emily and the baby.  Monica finally couldn't take anymore of not hearing any news, so she walked back behind the swinging doors to see what she could find out.  Zander had made the apporpriate phone calls to Sonny, Jason, Alexis, and Elizabeth and he was hoping any of them would walk through those doors he had been watching for some time now.  Zander sat in the waiting room and held his head down between his hands, he was distraught with worry and concern for his wife and child and having Alan there didn't make things any better.  "Zander.." a voice said as they approached him.  He looked up from his hands and saw Elizabeth standing before him.  He quickly rose from his chair and embraced her.  Elizabeth could feel his pain and his fear as they stood in the lounge embracing each other for comfort.  "How is she?...." Elizabeth said as she broke the embrace and looked at the worry in his eyes.  "We don't know....Monica went in to see what was going on about 10 minutes ago but she hasn't returned." He replied as they took their seats in the large over stuffed chairs.  Zander explained the situation about how Monica had come to see Emily at the loft and how Alan showed up.  The situation just escalated from there and that he and Alan got into a scuffle in their living room.  And a few moments later he noticed she was in pain and the contractions had started more than likely from the intensity of the situation.

As Elizabeth held his hand in the waiting room, Zander noticed the elevator doors parting open as Sonny, along with Alexis and Jason stepped off and walked towards where he was sitting.  Alan of course was now really uncomfortable with the company that had arrived, so he excused himself and headed towards the nurses station.

As Zander and Emily's friends sat waiting in the lounge for news,  while she was being attended to by nurses and doctors who were desperately trying to stop the contractions.  Monica had put on surgical blues and stood by her daughter side as the duty nurse injected the IV with the liquid medication that should stop the contractions.  She held her mom's hand tightly as she watched the IV drip down through the tube that was attached to her arm.  The contractions had become sparingly and had not been as strong as they were when she first arrived.  Six months was too early for her to deliver this baby and she was hoping the doctors could stop them in time.  Monica noticed that Emily was calming down and seemed to be more concerned now about those waiting for news about her and the baby.  She looked at her mother and expressed that she should go and let everyone know what was going on so they wouldn't worry.  Monica kissed her daughter on her forehead and headed for the door.  She made her way down the long hallway to the swinging doors, still in the surgical blues she noticed there was a waiting room full of people wanting to hear some good news about Emily.

Zander looked up and noticed Monica walk through the doors and he rushed to her with a panic look in his eyes.  "How is she?...." Zander asked as calmly as he could.  "She's fine..." Monica replied as she rubbed her hands along his strong arms.  "And the baby?..." he replied.  Monica paused for a moment as the othes who had been waiting came closer to hear the news.  "Monica..the baby?! ...How's the baby?!" Zander asked as he started to panic again.  If they lost this baby, Emily would be devestated.  "Zander, they are both fine...the baby is being monitored and Emily was given something to stop the contractions, but for right now they are fine.  Heartbeat is strong and it seems that the baby is in no distress at the moment." she replied as she saw the sigh of relief come over him.  "Can I see her?....I want to see her..." He asked as he noticed everyone breathing a sigh of relief as they sat in the lounge.  "Yeah sure give Dr. Meadows a minute....he is finishing up and I am sure he will want to give her a private room.  I'll come get you as soon as he gives the okay." she replied as she looked at him reassuringly.  "Thank you...." Zander replied as Monica nodded as she touched his hand lightly.

As Monica and Alan stood by the nurses station, Zander made his way back over to the lounge area to explain the situation to the others who had been waiting.  Zander told them what Monica had just explained to him and that he would be able to see her in a few moments.  He saw no reason for all of them to stick around waiting, she was fine now and he just wanted to spend some private time with his wife.  Alexis pulled Zander aside away from anyone who maybe listening.  "You do realize that you are now going to have to speak up about the two of you being married?" Alexis said as adjusted her glasses.  "Yeah I kind of figured we would have paperwork to sign and I really hate for her parents to find out like this, Alexis." he replied as he looked over to Alan and Monica standing across the large open area of the nurses station.  "Zander, you are going to have sign for her...you are her husband...her parents have no control over this anymore." Alexis replied as Amy called Zander's name. "Well, it looks like this is it...wish me luck." Zander said with a grin and turned to walk towards Amy.  As he passed Sonny and Jason he patted Sonny's arm as a hello gesture as Sonny realized this was it...the truth be known that Zander and Emily were man and wife.  All of them prepared for the huge eruption that was about to happen when her parents find out the truth.

Amy handed him a clipboard with all kinds of forms to be filled out so she could be admitted.  He took the board from her as he gazed over at Em's parents who stood next to him.  "And what do you think you are doing?" Alan asked as he looked at the clipboard in Zander's hands.  "Alan....don't start!" Monica said as she stepped between her husband and Zander.  "We are her parents, we should be filling out those forms..not you!" Alan said as he pulled the clipboard from Zander's hands. "You may be her parents, but I am her husband..so for that reason, I fill out these forms.." Zander said as he took back the clipboard and he noticed those standing within an ear shot of the conversation stood in complete shock and disbelievement.  Zander walked away with clipboard in hand as Emily parents stood there in shock at what they just heard.  Alan followed behind him as he took a seat in the lounge once again.  Alan was now face to face with Sonny and Jason who stood in front of Zander as if to protect him.  "Oh, so what you need these two to protect you now?!" Alan said with anger.  "No, I don't...what do you want to finish what we started...cause we can ya know?!" Zander threatened as he rose from his chair.  "Zander, this is not the place..." Jason said in his monotone voice as he placed his hand on Zander's chest to back him away from the situation.  Tempers flared as the air tightened.  "Zander...this will not change anything!" Sonny said as he turned around and looked at him intensely.  "No, it won't but it will make me feel better!" Zander said as he drew back his arm to throw a punch at Alan.  Jason quickly restrained Zander's arm as Monica got between Alan and Sonny.  "You don't want to do that Zander!.....Don't give them another reason to hate you!...They are not worth it, just let it go!" Jason said as he tried to restrain Zander from doing something he was sure he would regret.  Zander had anger and resentment in his eyes as he turned his head and looked at Jason.  "I know, they push your buttons...and believe me they pushed mine too for a long time.  But you can't let them get to you!" Jason said as he noticed Alan backed away from Sonny with Monica standing in between them.  Alan temper was flaring as Monica tried desperately to control him.  He knew that this was not the time nor place for this, and he was more concerned about his daughter. "Alright!..." Alan said as he straightened out his suit in disgust. "Let's just have everyone calm down, none of this is doing Emily any good and I am sure she has heard the ruckus we have all caused out here in the hallway." Monica replied as she centered herself between the four men who stood before her.

As Monica tried to calm down the situation, Amy walked over cautiously towards the group that took center stage in the hallway of the hospital.  "Zander...Dr. Meadows said you could see your wife now." Amy said as it felt a little strange for her to say that. "She was taken to a private room down the hallway...room 411." she said as she pointed in the direction of the room.  "Thanks Amy..." Zander replied with a grin.  "I am going to see my WIFE now...she needs me!" he said as he glared directly at Alan and Monica.  Alan reacted as he thought he would at Zander's snide remark...as he started to walk after him.  "Alan....No!..stay here." she replied as she grabbed onto his arm to pull him back. "Monica..we can't...!" he said as he looked down at her grip.  "We have too..he is her husband." she replied as the anger was now turning to concern.  Concern for their daughter and their grand-child.

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Zander made his way down the hallowed halls of the hospital in search for Em's room.  Once he found it he stood outside the door for a few moments to collect himself before he entered the room.  He didn't want to give Emily any indication of the ruckus that just taken place.  He took a deep cleansing breath as he pushed open the door of the room.  As he stepped through the door, he noticed she was resting peacefully as he made his way over to her bedside.  He pulled the chair that sat in the corner to him so he could sit and hold her hand while she slept.  As he sat down he took her hand in his and held it tightly.  She opened her eyes to see him sitting there looking at her with concern and worry.  She reached up and brushed his face lightly with her hand, as his face fell into her touch.

"Em...I was so worried about you and the baby...if something would of happened to you.." Zander began as their eyes met.  "Yeah I know....but believe me I'm fine now...baby's fine..." she replied as she took his hand once again.  "There were a whole lot of people worried about you...you gave us quite a scare..ya know." he replied as his grip tightened and he gently caressed their unborn child with his other hand.  She knew how devastated he would be if anything were to happen to either her or the baby.  She drew him near laying his head on her pregnant form allowing him to hear the heartbeat of their future.
 

Chapter 9
PG

Before leaving the hospital, Dr. Meadows had requested an ultrasound to analyze the baby's vitals.  Emily had been laying in a hospital bed now for three days and she was anticipating her release.  After a little persuasion from Emily, he decided to allow her to go home, however he still wanted the ultrasound done before she left.  A duty nurse had rolled the ultrasound equipment in and set it beside Emily's bed.  She assisted Emily with her hospital gown as Zander watched from the other side of the bed.  This would be the third ultrasound and they were hoping this time they would find out if it was a boy or a girl.  Each time before the baby was not in the correct position to see what they needed to see.  The technician who would perform the ultrasound had arrived and took her seat in front of the machine.  She took the tube of clear gel from the drawer of the cabinet the machine was set on and proceeded to dispense the jelly onto Emily's belly.  It was cold to the soft and sensitive skin, as Emily flinched to the cold sensation.  As Zander held her hand and looked on, the technician took the wand that was attached to the machine and began to move it in a circular motion across her skin.  As she did this, Emily and Zander were focused on the monitor that displayed Emily's uterus which held their unborn child.  As the technician moved the wand from side to side, they could observe the position of their baby.  A few moments had passed while Dr. Meadows took measurements and the vital signs from the monitor and jotted them down on the chart, Zander heard the door to the room open and Emily's parents were standing in the door way.  "May we come in?" Monica asked as she and Alan stood in the doorway of Emily's room. Not wanting to deny her parents of seeing their unborn grand-child..."Come on in....it's your grand-child..." Zander said as he motioned for them to come and observe.

Alan and Monica glanced at each other before drifting across the room to view the monitor that had displayed the baby Emily's was carrying.  Emily noticed they had come into her room and gazed at them as they stood behind Zander.  He certainly wasn't comfortable with the two of them there, but he wasn't going to deny them the privilege of witnessing this momentous event.  "We just stopped by to see how you were feeling and to say that we are so glad everything is fine..." Monica said as Emily reached around Zander with her arm and took her mother's hand in hers and held it tight.  "The two of you can stay and watch if you want...can't they, hon?" Emily replied as she looked at Zander.  "Yeah sure..I don't have a problem with that."  he replied.   Zander noticed that Monica was warming up to the idea of her daughter being married to him.  Alan on the other hand was not taking the news well, but was making every effort to be supportive of Emily's decision.

The technician hesitated for a moment.  "Do you want to see if your having a boy or a girl?"  she asked as a smile came over their faces.  "We would love to know...we have been waiting for three months to find out...so." Emily said as they stared at the monitor intently.  The technician began to point out the outline of their baby, and as she drifted the wand in one direction, she pointed to the head and the baby's arms and legs that were pulled into it's chest.  She asked if Emily could move herself a little to the left, it would urge the baby to move it's position so they could view what they were so anxious to see.  "So...can you tell us...is it a boy or a girl?" Zander said as he was anxiously awaiting for the technician to announce the baby's gender.  "Well...let's see...just a little bit more Emily.." she said as she moved the wand a bit to the left and asked Emily to adjust herself a wee bit more.  The four of them watched intently at the monitored hoping to get a glimpse.  "Zander and Emily....you are proud parents of....a baby boy." she said with a smile.  The room filled with joy with the news about the baby being a boy.  They were so elated with the news and were now getting anxious for the day he would arrive.  "Emily....you did good." Monica said as she leaned down and kissed her lightly on the forehead.  "Me...but I didn't do anything..." she replied as she looked towards her parents with a smile.  "You have done more than you will ever know..." Alan said as he was fighting back the tears.  It was a touching moment for the four of them.  Zander leaned in and kissed his wife softly on her lips as he noticed the stray tears of joy he wiped away with his thumb as he caressed her cheek.

Once the ultrasound machine was rolled away from the bed, Alan and Monica proceeded to the other side of Emily's hospital bed.  Monica assisted Emily in adjusting the top portion of the bed so she could sit upright while they visited. Alan stood behind Monica as she sat on a chair he had pulled from the corner.  From the looks on their faces, Emily knew that seeing their unborn grand-child was an overwhelming experience for both of them.  Both her parents were brought to tears as they observed the monitor and listened to the heart beat.  "We are very proud of you..Emily." her mother said as she took her daughter's hand.  Zander sat across the bed listening to those words that certainly sounded sincere and heartfelt...but in the back of his mind he was wondering if his wife could ever trust them again.  "And we just want you to know that we love you...the family loves you.  We know we haven't made things easy for the two of you and ...when we were wrong we say we're wrong." Alan said as he stood over his daughter.  "Dad...I haven't been the easiest to parent...I have made mistakes too.  But I do not have any regrets about loving Zander.  He is my life and nothing has or will change that." Emily replied as she gazed into Zander's eyes for a moment.  "I think we understand that now...it took us a long time to realize that." Monica replied as Alan positioned his hands on top of her shoulders.

Zander sat quietly caressing Emily's hand as her parents voiced their feelings to them.  He knew how much they loved Emily and how much they needed her in their life.  He had never stood in the way of Emily keeping in touch with her parents.  He always left the decision up to her if she wanted to be a part of the family.  The four of them sat discussing what the future will bring for he and Emily as Dr. Meadows returned.  Emily was anticipating her release from the hospital today, so she it was apparently elated when the doctor signed the papers for her to go home.  Dr. Meadows gave strict instructions for her to follow until the baby arrived, and Zander promised she would follow them to the letter.  He didn't want her to give him a scare like this again.

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Zander assisted Emily from the limo and up the stairs to the door of the apartment.  Zander removed his coat and than hers and hung them on the back of the kitchen chairs as she wandered over to the sofa to lay down.  She was feeling kinda tired, but that was to be expected in her condition.  Zander poured two glasses of OJ and placed them on the coffee table as he took a seat on the arm of the couch.  He noticed she had made room for him so he could lay next to her.  Although he was skeptical that the two of them would conform to the sofa, but without hesitation he laid down beside her as she laid her head on his chest.  He wrapped his arms around her as he felt the rhythm of her breathing against him.  They laid together for some time just holding each other close and listening to the silence of the darkness that filled the apartment.

As they laid there whispering sweet nothings to each other, Zander heard a knock on the door.  "Rick, who's here?..he shouted as Rick opened the door to announce Elizabeth and Lucky had come to see Emily.  "Oh, sure come on in...we were, uh...just relaxing..." Zander said he rose from the sofa.  "Yeah, eh...we can see that." Lucky said with a grin.  "So..how are things?" Zander said as he walked over and shook hands with Lucky.  "Good...how's Em doing?...We heard she came home so we thought we'd stop and visit." Lucky replied as Elizabeth removed her coat and laid it across the chair.  "Ya know, I am in the room....and I am pregnant, not deaf.." Emily said as she tried to sit up from the laying position she was in.  "Here, Em...let me help you.." Elizabeth said as she came to her aid.  "Thanks..if I get any bigger I'm not going to be able to get off the sofa at all." Emily replied with a giggle.  The guys made their way into the living room and took seats closer to the conversation.  As the four of them conversed about life in general between two married couples, the girls got side tracked in the discussion by talking about the baby.  The guys now found it difficult to converse about guy things and moved their conversation to the kitchen.  "Finally, I thought they'd never leave.." Elizabeth said with a smirk.  "So, is there a baby in the plans for you and Lucky?" Emily asked as she adjusted the pillow behind her back.  Sitting for long periods of time had become distressing, so she needed the pillow for support of her lower back.  She couldn't wait till her new baby boy would arrive...right about now, she just wanted him out.  "Nah...not yet...there are so many things going on in our life right now...I would like to give a baby our full and undivided attention..ya know." Elizabeth replied as she adjusted the position of her seat.  Elizabeth was still painting and had quite a few of her paintings at the local gallery on display.  She was doing quite well for herself and her hopes had been to open her own gallery some day.  Lucky on the other hand was now working for Deception with his mother as a contracted photographer.  The photos he shot of Elizabeth and Gia for the Face of Deception Campaign a year or so ago, had gotten some recognition for him and decided to work professionally as a photographer.

The guys who had been talking guy talk in the kitchen had made the move back into the living room as soon as the girls started to do their giggle thing.  The guys knew when the two girls started giggling, it was time to break up the conversation.  Zander and Lucky took seats where they could find room as Emily began to mention to Elizabeth about the ultrasound she had earlier in the day.  "So, doesn't anyone want to know what we found out today?" Emily began as Zander slid in behind her on the sofa and supported her back against him.  "Tell us...what..don't keep us in suspense?" Elizabeth said as she leaned in and rested her elbows on her knees.  Zander and Emily glanced at each other as if to decide who should tell the good news.  "You tell 'em..hon." Emily said to Zander as he placed his hand on his unborn baby boy.  "Well, Dr. Meadows did another ultrasound this morning before Emily came home and we found out that we are going to have a baby boy!" he replied with excitement.  Elizabeth and Lucky were overjoyed with the news about their friends having a baby boy, there were congratulations and hugs all around as the friends celebrated the news.

As they were celebrating the good news, Zander attended to the phone that was ringing in the kitchen.  "Hello.." Zander said as he held the receiver to his ear.  "Yeah, that's fine...I'll be there...I'm leaving now." he replied to the voice on the other end.  "I gotta go...I'll be back in a little while.." he said as he leaned in and kissed Emily on her cheek.  "Go..I'll be fine..you becareful out there...." she replied as she took his hand in hers. "We can stay with her, Zander....we don't have any plans tonight...besides it would give us time to catch up." Lucky said as he rose from his seat and straightened his pants legs.  "Okay...I'm going..thanks." he said as he put on his coat and grabbed his keys from the kitchen table.  He turned and looked at Emily sitting on the couch and heard her say the three magic words..."I love you..." as he replied "I love you..too."  With that, he rushed out the door as Rick closed it behind him.

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As Zander made his way to the warehouse next door, which was where he was to meet up with Jason and Sonny to discuss Sorel, he kept alert to his surroundings.  Even though Sorel was in jail and hopefully for a long time to come, his goons were still walking the streets, so he needed to still becareful as he walked about Port Charles.  Zander of course didn't want to frighten Emily with the Sorel situation so he had kept the knowledge about him to himself.  He need to protect her from Sorel anyway he knew how...and at the moment keeping her in the dark about the situation was it.

As he entered the warehouse, he noticed a few more of Sonny's guards posted about so he knew that Jason and Sonny had arrived before he did.  He entered the warehouse cautiously and meandered back to the office where Sonny held his business transactions.  He noticed when entered the office that Sonny was sitting behind the desk in his large expensive leather chair and Jason sat on the wing back chair towards the side.  By the looks on their faces, news was not good and he was praying to God that it was not about Sorel.

"Come on in and join the fun...Zander." Sonny said sarcastically as he closed the door and took a seat.  "I got here as fast as I could...ya know with Emily and all..I had to make sure she was okay before I left." Zander said as he leaned forward in the chair and folded his hands together.  "Is she alright?..." Jason asked as concern overcame his face.  "Yeah, she's fine...Elizabeth and Lucky are with her.." he replied as he turned and looked at him.  Zander not liking the small talk that was happening began to worry him what was about to be discussed.

"We've got a problem..." Sonny said as he pushed himself away from the desk and rose out of his chair.  Zander didn't want to hear that..."what do you mean problem?...Sorel?" Zander asked as anxiety began building inside him by the mere mention of Sorel's name.  "Sorel is no longer in custody..." Jason replied as he began to pace the floor of the office.  "What?!...what do you mean no longer in custody?!"  Zander questioned in a panic.  "It seems that he was being transferred to Pentonville from the PCPD after an interrogation by the Commissioner and....well..his contacts followed enroute." Sonny replied in despair.  "And?....Sonny tell me..what happened?! Where's Sorel?!" Zander inquired as he rose from the wing back chair he was sitting in.  "Zander..we don't know!..Alright, we just don't know!" he responded in disappointment.  Jason and Sonny both had wanted to bring the situation to Zander calmly and without trying to aggravate him beyond belief.  However the news about Sorel's escape was not setting well with Zander at all...and they couldn't blame him.  Sorel had literally terrorized Zander and Emily for months and even after he had been locked up in prison.  Sorel had many connections with the outside world and it was any one's guess who had hatched this plan of escape.

As Sonny and Jason glared at each other, as Zander stood there completely oblivious to their conversation.  "Zander...Zander, are you okay?" Sonny questioned as he noticed Zander had been worlds away in thought. "Uh, yeah..I'm fine...as fine as can be expected with that psycho out there." Zander replied with apprehension.  "What do we do now...?" he continued.  "What we do...we do, Zander...Sonny and myself. You need to be with your wife and take care of her and your baby." Jason replied as he glared at Zander.  "I just can't sit around like a sitting duck while Sorel is out there..." he replied as the helpless feeling overcame him.  "What?!....You want to get dragged back into this, Zander?!" Sonny questioned as he stood behind his desk and slammed his fist down.  Zander could see the rage in his eyes as he startled by Sonny's anger towards him.  "Sonny, I am in this no matter if Sorel's in jail or not!  He has taken everything from me and damn it I am not going to allow him to take my wife and child!" he answered with his own anger as tempers flared in the heat of the moment.  "Hey!...guys!...let's calm down and figure out what we are going to do keep you and Emily safe!" Jason demanded as Sonny and Zander's anger began to diminish.

Zander had become overcome with anger as he sat and listened to the plans that were evolving between the three of them.  He knew this was a dangerous situation but he was in no way going to allow Sorel take what was his...again.  Sorel had already taken his freedom, he had taken over his dreams and turned them into nightmares and he had taken over every part of his being.  Even though Sorel had been incarcerated for months now, there was still reason to fear him and what he was capable of.  Zander didn't want any harm to come to him or his family, and he had been consumed with intending to do just that.  The contempt and anger consumed Zander for so long about Sorel and the dealings he had with him so long ago, he was trying to so very hard to relinquish them.  Zander had found himself in a dangerous profession and Emily knew the risks involved by being with him...even after he started working for Sonny.  But how could he protect her from something she couldn't grasp...it had devoured him as well and so how could he tend to her fears, when he had fears of his own.  He contemplated telling Emily about Sorel's escape but by informing her of the situation would only carry with it more cause for alarm.  He couldn't perpetrate anymore anxiety on her because of her pregnancy and being so close to delivering their baby.  He had remembered that Dr. Meadows had strictly instructed to him...no stress.  Sorel's escape was sure to bring on concern and fear to Emily...he was already concerned about the situation.

"I hate to break into this conversation, guys...but what do I tell Emily?" Zander questioned...even though he was totally oblivious to the words spoken between Jason and Sonny.  "We haven't spoken about Sorel in months, and I like it that way...." he added.  "Emily.." Jason sighed... as he turned and looked at the concerned face of Zander.  "How much does she know about the situation so far? I mean does she know that Sorel can still get to you even if he is behind bars? " Sonny asked as he directed the question to her husband.  "Nah..uh, no I haven't said anything about Sorel for months...not since before we got married.  Why?" Zander replied with confusion. "Now that he is out he poses more of threat to them, Sonny." Jason said as the three of them sat around Sonny's desk. "I just wanted to protect her, so I haven't mentioned any of this to her.  She can't risk knowing, she already is on strict orders from Dr. Meadows." Zander replied as he became more worried as the conversation progressed.  "Zander, if this is going to endanger the baby, then you can't tell her..." Jason quickly answered.  "Your family comes first..you can't risk another episode with Emily and the baby." Sonny followed.  "I know.  I know..but what else can I do...she knows me to well...she is going to see that I am wound tight about something.  I can't lie to her...I promised I wouldn't lie to her...ever!" he replied as he rose from his chair.  "Zander, calm down...we'll think of something." Jason replied as he placed his hand on Zander's shoulder.  "But for now we have to find Sorel...for your protection we need to find that son-of-a-bitch!....Like now!" Sonny shouted with exasperation.

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It was getting late as Lucky and Elizabeth decided to leave the loft.  It was now quite a few hours since Zander had left for his meeting, and Emily didn't seem concerned.  Emily knew he would call if he'd be held up somewhere, so she knew he would be home soon...safe and sound.  Elizabeth and Lucky said their good-byes and grabbed their coats as Emily walked them to the door.  Rick still standing at his post outside the door watched as they walked down to their car parked in the alley.  Emily stood in the doorway of the loft as Rick turned to close the door.  "Wait..." she said as she placed her hand on the door as if to hold it open.  "Ms. Smith?" Rick asked confused at her actions to hold open the door.  "Do you know where Zander rushed off too?" she questioned as they stood at the top of the stairs.  "Emily....I don't rightly know.  I'm sure he's fine..Johnny's with him." Rick stated as he looked at the concern in her eyes.  "I'm sure he is...I just thought..." Emily replied as her words drifted off.  "Thought that maybe I'd go hunt him down?" Rick acknowledged her question.  "Nah, nevermind...he'll be home shortly I'm sure of it..Thanks Rick." she replied as she reached to closed the door.

Emily looked at the clock hanging on the wall of the kitchen and she noticed that her husband had been gone quite a few hours now.  She wondered what could be keeping him.  She contemplated about calling him, but dismissed the idea because she trusted him..it was business.  Many thoughts lingered in her mind as she laid on the sofa with the afghan covering her.  "She knew Zander would never deceive her intentionally...why was she thinking this way...of course not...these were crazy thoughts that she needed to shut out of her mind.  Must be hormones!...her only excuse for thinking this way.  Zander loved her and has loved her for a very long time...he wouldn't do anything to hurt her.  He wasn't like that."

She soon drifted off to sleep underneath the blue afghan that embodied her pregnant form.  She awoke to the sound of the creek in the floorboards near the kitchen.  "Zander...Is that you?" she questioned still half asleep as her eyes focused on that area of the apartment.  "Yeah, hon..I'm sorry I didn't mean to wake you." he replied as he wandered over to the sofa and sat next to her on the edge of the cushion.  "I was worried about you. You were gone so long..." she replied as she closed her eyes.  "I'm back now..home safe and sound.  Nothing to worry about." Zander replied as he stroked her stray auburn hair from her brow.  "Zander..." she said wistfully.  "Yeah, Em...I'm right here.." he responded as he placed his hand in hers.  "Don't leave me...promise you will never leave me..." she asked.  "I promise...I will never leave you...never. I love you Emily, why would I leave you?" he asked as he wondered where this was coming from.  "I love you too.." she said and with that he picked her up in his arms and cradled her close.  He carried her over to their bed and turned down the sheets.  As he gently laid her down trying so hard not to disturb her again, he kissed her softly on her forehead and drew the covers over her.

She looked so peaceful lying there asleep...his angel.  The angel who saved him from a life sentence, an angel who believed in him and stood by him.  He was determined to be her angel now.   The thoughts of Sorel occupied his mind, so much so he couldn't sleep.  So instead of being restless by tossing and turning he sat on the sofa just wondering what his next move would be.  The blue afghan that earlier covered Emily now embodied him as he lye awake on the sofa.  The sunrise over the bay was beautiful at 5:30 that morning.  He hadn't slept a wink last night thinking about Sorel and where he had disappeared to.  He, Sonny and Jason need to catch that bastard before he did any harm to anyone he cared about.

As he rose from the sofa and wandered across the floor to the kitchen, he noticed a piece of paper slip underneath the door to the loft.  Zander stopped dead in his tracks and quickly picked up the slip of paper and opened the door to find no one there...not even Rick.  He quickly shut the door before sitting down at the kitchen table.  He opened up the white slip of paper to read these words....."BOOM!" sprawled across the paper in cut out pieces of colored paper.

Chapter 10
 

Not knowing what the words implied, Zander rushed and picked up Emily cradling her in his arms as they fled the loft and down the stairs to the alley.  As he made his way towards Front Street, he looked back over his shoulder as the loft exploded into a ball of flames.  The impact of the explosion sent him to the ground with Emily beneath him.  As he lay on the ground covering her from falling debris, he noticed her tears of fear streaming from her eyes.  "It's alright, Emily...I gotcha...it's gonna be alright." Zander said as he tried to comfort his wife as they lay on the side walk.  As Zander came to his feet, he noticed Rick and Johnny running towards him from the warehouse.  "Zander..what happened...are you two alright?" ... Johnny asked as Rick tended to Emily who still lay on the sidewalk dazed.  "I'm not sure what happened...but it looks like our apartment blew up!" he shouted. "Where were you guys?!" Zander inquired as he assisted Emily to her feet.  "Rick and I got a page to go to the warehouse..so we did.  We thought Mr. Corinthos...." Johnny replied as Zander saw the panic in his eyes.  "Alright...so what happened when you got there.." Zander asked as he was enthralled by the flames that were shooting out of the roof of the apartment.  "Nothing..no one was there.  We were gone a matter of minutes..honest." Rick explained as the fire trucks and ambulance pulled up along Front Street.  "I believe you..." he replied as he knew in the back of his mind Sorel was behind this ...he was going to make him pay dearly for this one.

Zander tended to Emily as the fireman had started to control the blaze that was burning feverishly.  The ambulance doors had swung open and two paramedics rushed to their aid as Zander and Emily walked towards them.  "I'm alright...just shaken up a bit." Emily said as the paramedic tended to her abrasion on her forehead.  "How far along are you?" the paramedic asked as he noticed she was caressing her so pregnant belly.  "Almost 7 months." she replied as he took her blood pressure.  Emily noticed that Zander had wandered closer to the action as the fireman brought the blaze under control.  "Zander!...." She yelled as he turned around to her acknowledge her scream for him.  "You stay there...I'll be right back.." he shouted forcefully.  Emily watched in dismay as Zander made his way towards the crowd that had gathered along the street and sidewalk.  Zander wandered down towards the warehouse where he met up with Sonny and Jason, who had been called by Johnny.  As the three of them stood conversing about the explosion and Sorel, Jason noticed Taggert was making his rounds through the crowd talking to everyone who may have noticed anything suspicious.  "Don't look now, but your buddy is on the job.." he said directly the statement towards Sonny.  "I figured it wouldn't take him long to get down here." he replied as the three put a little distance between them.  "I'll get the whole story later...and we are working on time constraints here...If Sorel can pull this off in a matter of hours, just think of what he could accomplish with days of freedom." he added as they began to walk back towards the alleyway.  "Sonny you don't think it was an inside job..do ya?" Zander asked as Taggert walked towards them.  "Nah, I think this was exclusively Sorel and him alone."

"Gentlemen...out for a brisk morning walk are we?" Taggert said as he approached them.  "If you haven't noticed my apartment blew up..." Zander replied with a smirk.  "No, need to get sarcastic..Mr. Smith.  I was just making an observation." he replied as he flipped another page in his little notebook he was carrying.  "Is there a purpose to this conversation?" Sonny asked as he was getting impatient with Taggert.  "Why yes, Mr. Corinthos...there is.  I'd like to know what Mr. Smith here has to say about this unfortunate incident." Taggert answered as he looked at Zander who seemed to more concerned with his wife across the street.  "Not much to say about it...other than I was lucky enough to carry my wife to safety before the explosion." Zander said with reservations about telling Taggert to much.  "Don't know who would of done something like this?" Taggert questioned as another officer came up behind him.  "I think Mr. Smith answered your question, Taggert.." Sonny replied as the officer and Taggert spoke quietly.

"Well the fire has been eradicated and we are gonna wait now till the Fire Marshall has a chance to sort through what is left the building before we conclude what happened here." Taggert stated as he flipped through his notebook as if to be searching for something.  "Are we done... I really should get back to Emily." Zander inquired as he gazed over the crowd to see her still across the street with the paramedics.  "Yeah, go..be with your wife.  If there is anything else..." Taggert replied as his words drifted off.  "I know..I'l call you.." Zander replied as he started down the sidewalk towards Emily.

Once Zander had Emily in plain view he quickly ran across the street to her.  The paramedics had wrapped her in a hospital issued blanket while she waited for him in the ambulance.  "Is she alright?" Zander asked the paramedic as he stepped into the ambulance.  "Yeah, she's fine and the baby's fine. I don't see a reason for her to go to the hospital.  We treated her superficial scrape on the forehead..no stitches needed.  You can take her home."  the paramedic replied as he was packing some of his supplies.  "Home...yeah, where's that?" Emily asked as Zander took her hand in his.  "We'll stay at the PC Hotel if we have too...don't worry everything is going to be just fine." he replied as he assisted her down from the ambulance.  As she stepped down, Sonny and Jason had made there way from across the street.  "So now what?..." Zander asked as they approached.  "Don't you worry about that...Jas and I have it all under control." Sonny replied.  "You know what to do.." he added as he looked at Jason.  "Right." Jason answered as Sonny started to turn away.  "Come on..let's go." he added as he gestured to Zander.

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News about the explosion traveled like a whirlwind through the hospital.  Alan and Monica now panic stricken about their daughter and grand-child.  As they were making a few phone calls, Taggert stepped off the elevator.  He made his way across to the nurses station to where Alan and Monica stood holding a conversation with Amy.  "Taggert!...What can you tell us?" Alan said as Taggert approached.  "Not much...other than Emily and the baby are fine.  Her and Zander are staying with Alexis for now until a more permanent residence can be found.  "Oh thank God!.." Monica replied as the relief of hearing her daughter was alright came over her.  "I just had a few questions for the two of you...can we go somewhere and talk?" Taggert asked as he reached in his pocket of his overcoat  for his little notebook.  "Sure we can go to my office and talk..this way." Alan replied as he pointed in the direction of his office.  Monica and Taggert followed Alan as he walked down the hall of the hospital towards his office.  Both wondered what information they could give Taggert about the incident this morning.

Once inside the office Taggert removed his overcoat and took a seat in one of the chairs in front of Alan's desk.  "So, what would you like to know?" Alan asked as he took a seat behind the desk.  "Has Emily said anything lately about Sorel?" Taggert questioned as he looked at Alan who sat across from him.  "Sorel?...Why would she say anything about Sorel?...Nah, nothing within the last 6 or 8 months.  Before that, she was pretty distant from us.." Monica replied as she took a seat next to Taggert.  "I don't want to scare you, but Sorel escaped yesterday afternoon on his way back to Pentonville." Taggert replied.  "Escaped?!...What do you mean he escaped?!" Alan asked as he now was more worried than ever about Emily.  "Alan..calm down." Monica said as she tried to soothe Alan's temper down far enough to have a civil conversation with a police officer.  "Explain this to us, Taggert." Monica replied.  Taggert tried to explain the Sorel situation as much as he could without alarming Emily's parents.  And as far as he knew Sorel wasn't in Port Charles.  He'd more than likely go underground till things cooled down. Since there wasn't much else Taggert could shed on the incident or Sorel, he grabbed his overcoat and left the office, leaving Alan and Monica to worry about Emily together.

Alan quickly got on the phone and called Alexis hoping to speak with Emily.  Of course the phone rang and rang.  He finally got Alexis's answering machine and left a message that she should call him as soon as she got home.  This didn't look good.  As Alan and Monica sat and pondered what should be done now, Alan's phone rang.  "Dr. Quartermaine" he said as he initially picked up the receiver.  "Dad?...It's me.." the voice replied on the other end. "Emily!...where are you?!" he questioned as relief overcame he and Monica.  "I'm sorry..I can't tell you that." she answered.  "But I can tell you that I am fine...the baby's fine." "We are worried about you Em..we are just worried and we would like to have some answers..." Alan replied as he and Monica shared the receiver.  "I'm sorry but I can't give them to you.  I just wanted you to know that I love the two of you and that I am alright. Now I have to go now...but I will keep in touch as often as I can." she answered as Alan heard desperation in her voice. "We love you to Em..." he replied as her end of the conversation went dead.  Alan and Monica glanced at each other in concern over their daughter and the situation she has gotten herself in.

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The long black limo turned the corner onto an old dirt road in the middle of nowhere as Zander and Emily watched the scenery pass by through the black tinted windows.  Jason had explained the situation crystal clear for all involved to understand.  There will be absolutely no contact between them and anyone in Port Charles.  Jason is their lifeline, anything they need he will get it for them.  If and when Emily calls her parents it is to be done on Jason's cell phone and no mention of where they are.  The safe house is stocked with food and clothes for them so they should be alright for a few weeks.  While Zander and Emily were safely tucked away Jason and Sonny would take care of Sorel.

The limo pulled up in front of the safe house as Zander and Jason gathered what they could before exiting the car.  Once the limo had stopped at the front door of the house, Jason existed the car while Zander assisted to Emily.  It was now late afternoon and Emily hadn't eaten all day.  Zander had decided to head to the kitchen to prepare his wife something to eat as Jason's cell phone rang.  Jason took the phone call in the other room as Zander searched the kitchen cupboards for something quick.  A few moments later Jason had finished his phone call and pulled Zander to the side for a chat.  "That was Sonny.  A few of our people found some of Sorel's contacts who may have had a hand in this.  Now I have to go and but the two of you will be safe here.  And I mean the two of you...Zander." Jason stated firmly as he placed his phone in his jacket pocket.  "Alright..we'll wait to hear from you.." Zander replied as he glanced over towards Emily who sat at the kitchen table.  "And one more thing before I go..under no circumstances do either of you leave the house.  I'll be back in a few days to check on you." he replied as he made his way towards the stairs.  "What if Emily...if something goes wrong between your visits?" Zander asked as he followed Jason in toe.  "Call me immediately on..." Jason began and hesitated as he remembered Zander had no cell phone to use.  "On what?..Jas I don't have my cell..remember it kinda got blown up this morning." "I'll get you one...I'll be back tomorrow morning with it." Jason replied as he climbed the stairs two steps at a time.  With that said Zander heard the door close and turned his attention back to his wife who had been patiently waiting for some dinner.

"Are ya about starved by now..?" Zander asked as he stood behind Emily massaging her shoulders. "I don't know...but that feels so good.." she replied as she felt herself relax as his hands did wonders to her tense muscles in her neck. "Whatda stop for?" she asked as she leaned back her head and looked up at him. "Oh..sorry.." he replied with a smirk.  "I could use a glass of milk or something.." she hinted as she folded her arms on the table and rested her head her make shif pillow.  "Sure...let's see.." he replied as he opened the refrigerator door stuck his head in and searched out something to drink.  Emily noticed to the nice view he gave her as he was still searching for that drink. "Nice.." she replied under her breath with a grin. "Nice what?" he asked as he straightened.  "Oh, nothing.."  "You were checkin me out?!" he replied as he turned and glanced at his backside.  "I can look..." she said as she smiled. "So what does Sonny have for me to drink?" "Milk, OJ, or apple juice..you pick." Zander replied as he stood there holding open the refrigerator door.  "Milk.." she answered as he reached in for her selection. "Would you like cookies to go with that milk, my dear." he said with a grin.  "Sonny has cookies?..where?"  "I'm sure he has thought of everything...if not remind me and I'll ask Jas to bring you some." Zander better find those cookies, cause right about now she was hungry for chocolate chip.  Zander started searching for her cookies as she sat and drank the milk he poured her.  "Find any?.." she asked as she watched him searching every cupboard.  "Not yet.." "Come on..you ain't holdin out on me again...are ya?" "Now would I do that?..." he said jokingly as he noticed a box of chocolate chip located in the cupboard he had just opened.  He looked back and noticed from where she was sitting there was no possible way she could of seen them on the shelf.  She noticed he hesitated in his searching as if he found what he had been looking for.  "Guess what I found.." he said as he turned around with the box hidden behind his back.  "Oh...I don't know..a box of chocolate cookies?" she replied as she tried to sneak a peek at what he was hiding.  "Yeah a full box...." he said as she reached around him with both arms trying to take the box from him.  "Wait..now are you going to be nice and share them with me?....or hog them as usual?" he said with a snicker.  "Zander...give me those cookies!" she said playfully.  "Okay...but.." he began. "No buts...well maybe later..right now..I want the cookies.." she replied as she looked at him.  "Okay...here...no need to start making threats.." he said quickly as he handed her the box.  "Who's making threats...that was not a threat..that was a promise.." she said teasingly.  "Mmmmm..a promise....you think you should be making those kinds of promises in the condition your in?" he asked as the thought of what he just said was sure to get him in a whole heap of trouble later.  "Condition...? What condition?...Zander I'm pregnant...not dead...I got needs..." she replied as she dunked her chocolate chip cookie in her milk.  "I'm sure you do..." he replied as he laid his hand on her thigh and caressed her leg.  "If you keep doing that...you are going to find out sooner than later what I got needs for..." she said tempting him with everything she had.  Both of them gazed into each other's eyes knowing exactly what she meant and playfully giggled at the thought of knowing.

Emily hadn't realized how hungry she was until Zander shook the box and heard it was half empty.  "Looks like Jason better bring you another box of chocolate chip." he said with a grin.  "Funny..your very funny.." Emily replied with a giggle.  Zander closed up the box and put them back into the cupboard where he found them, as Emily wiped down the table with the dishrag by the sink.  She placed the glasses in the sink as Zander wrapped his strong arms around her waist.  They walked in unison towards the sofa in the living room area.  As they reached the sofa, Zander turned her around to face him.  He looked down at her with his brown eyes and cradled her head as she leaned into his hand.  He leaned in and gently pressed his lips to hers as their mouths parted and the kiss had deepened.  "I love you, Emily.." he said as his lips released from hers and she was left breathless.  "I love you too. More than you know." she replied as they stood embracing each other.  With that, Zander assisted her in taking a seat on the large sofa in front of the television set.  As he took the remote in his hand, Zander wondered what kind of reception the set would get being out in the middle of nowhere.  "Well, Sonny thinks of everything, now don't he?" he stated as he started flipping through the stations.  All 300 hundred of them.  Zander was in heaven...satelite dish.  By the way Zander reacted to the television, Emily found out one more thing about her husband.  He certainly never experienced having a satellite dish.  She enjoyed watching him as a little kid on Christmas morning...surfing through the channels as he smiled from ear to ear.

Emily stretched herself out with the conforms of the sofa and laid her head in Zander's lap as he placed his arm along her as his hand gently fell on her midsection.  She felt safe for the first time in a long time.  She knew that he would protect her with everything he had.  As she laid there watching the tv show he had flipped to, he softly brushed away the stray auburn hair from her green eyes.  His touch was soothing to her and relaxed her to the point of her eyes becoming heavy as she tried to stay awake.  He noticed she was falling asleep on his lap and that soon she couldn't resist.  He turned her towards him and leaned down and kissed her on her forehead.  "Come on.." he whispered to her as she looked up towards him.  "Where.." she said quietly.  "Emily you're exhausted..let me help you to bed, so you can get a good night sleep."  "No I'm not..see" she replied as she purposely widened her eyes.  "Come on..." he replied with a grin and a chuckle.  "Only if you come with me.." she said teasingly.

Zander cradled her against him as he rose from the sofa and carried her into the bedroom.  He laid her gently on the bed as she drew him near and not wanting him to go.  Zander knew by the look in her eyes, she wanted him to stay with her so he laid next to her and wrapped his arm around her.  She placed her head on his chest as he watched her drift off to sleep.

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Alan and Monica worried about their daughter had not told Edward about her phone call to them earlier.  As the family sat in the living room,  Reginald handed Monica her cell phone which was ringing for the fourth time.  Monica hesitant to answer it, fearing it could be bad news about Emily, took a deep breath and flipped the phone open.  "Hello, Dr. Quartermaine." she said as she held the phone up to her ear.  "Monica...it's Jason.  Don't say my name." he replied quickly.  "I just wanted to let you know about Emily." he added.  Monica surprised to here from her eldest son, and being that he wasn't in the habit of calling her, rose from the sofa and parted company with whom she sat with.  "Go on.." Monica replied as she walked into the foyer.  "Emily is safe and that is all I can tell you." Jason answered as he heard silence from the other end.  "Thank you for calling and letting me know." she replied.  With that said Monica flipped her phone closed and stuffed it back into her bag that sat on the chair.

Alan and the others were still conversing in the living room as she walked back in and took her seat once again.  No one questioned the phone call, and she was glad they didn't.  Edward and Alan dispersed and left Monica and Lila alone in the living room.  "Monica, dear...I wanted to speak with you about Emily." Lila said as she moved closer to where Monica was sitting.  "Yes, Lila..what would you like to know..I'll tell you what I can." Monica replied as she took Lila's hand in hers.  "From what I know, Emily and Zander are safe.  They are under Sonny's protection now, and we will have no contact with her until it is feasible to do so." she added.  "Thank you for your honesty with me, Monica." Lila replied as she patted Monica's hand.  "She'll be alright.  Zander is with her and he won't let anything happen to her." Monica replied as she noticed the concern in Lila's eyes.  "I wanted to tell you that I decided to give Emily a christening gown I have stored away in the attic.  I think it rightly belongs to Emily now." Monica was listening intently to Lila and nodded in agreement.  "I'm sure she would love it and she would certainly cherish it." she replied to the decision.

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Zander had awoken from a not so deep sleep as he glanced at the clock that shown 3 o'clock am.  He had been restless since he and Emily had gone to bed.  He glanced over at his wife as she lay sleeping peacefully.  He rose from the bed and walked to the kitchen for a glass of water.  As he stood in the kitchen he heard Emily calling his name from the bedroom.  He rushed in to find her awake and bewildered.  "Where did you go?  I woke up and you were gone.." she said quietly.  "Oh, hon..I'm sorry.  I went for a glass of water." he replied as he embraced her and tried to soothe her.  He laid her gently down with his hand cradling her head to the pillow.  She looked up at him and smiled as he smiled back.  He rose from her bedside and leaned in and kissed her gently on her forehead before heading back out to the kitchen to turn off the light.

He returned moments later and slide underneath the covers.  He slid closer to her and wrapped his arms around her and held her close.

Morning came as the sun filtered in through the tall trees outside the window.  Emily lay awake for an hour or so watching Zander sleep.  She brushed a stray black hair away from his face and kissed him lightly on his lips as she felt his arms wrap around her.  In one smooth motion he rolled her on to her back as the kiss deepened.  The two of them were oblivious to their surroundings and gotten all wrapped up in their passion, they didn't even notice Jason standing in the doorway of the bedroom.  Jason was quiet as a mouse when he wanted to be and this morning was no exception.

"Are you two going to stay in bed all day?" Jason asked as Zander looked up startled to hear his voice.  "Jason?!....uh, oh...well..uh." Zander replied as he quickly slipped on his black jeans that lay on the floor where he shedded them the night before.  "No need to explain." Jason replied as he leaned against the door frame of the bedroom.  Emily slipped on the silk robe that hung on the corner of the headboard.  Just another item Sonny so graciously provided.  Zander stood and zipped the jeans as he glanced back at Emily who was now slowly sitting up against the headboard of the bed.  Zander and Jason took the conversation out into the living room to give Emily some privacy.  "So how did it go last night?  Everything alright with you two?" Jason asked as Zander got a glass from the cupboard and poured himself some OJ from the refrigerator. "Yeah, everything went fine." he replied taking a sip from the glass.  Emily appeared from the bedroom in the silk robe and slippers she found.  Zander in awe of her as she walked across the room and took a seat on the sofa.  "What?" Emily asked as she looked in Zander's direction.  "Oh..nothing.  Just admiring the view." he replied as he came and sat beside her.  "Well, I brought some clothes that Carly sent for you Emily.  She thought you probably could wear them now, since not much was left from the apartment." Jason said as he handed her a paper bag full of maternity clothes.  "Well, tell Carly thank you for me.  I'm sure they'll be fine." she responded as she took the bag from him.  "Oh and before I forget, I also brought a cell phone with me in case you need to call me or Sonny.  And only me or Sonny.  No phone calls to Elizabeth or the family.  Got it." Jason added as he handed the cell phone to Zander.  "Yeah sure..no phone calls." he replied as he purposely glared at Emily.  With that look she knew he was talking to her about making no phone calls home.  "When do you think I can call the family?" Emily asked as she leaned into the cushion of the sofa.  "I called Monica last night and left her know that you were okay.  But I didn't tell her where you were, at least not yet."   Emily knew that her mother and father would be worried sick if they didn't hear from anyone.  So she was glad Jason took the initiative and called them.

Before leaving Jason asked if they needed anything, he'd bring the next time.  He reassured them things were going according to plan.  It wouldn't be long before they could return home.  He'd be back in a day or two with news and bring what they had requested.

Zander watched as Jason climbed the stairs and he heard the front door of the safe house close as Jason left.

"How bout breakfast?" Zander asked as Emily turned on the television.  "Sounds good...you making it? she asked as she flipped through the stations.  Zander smiled at the thought of making his wife breakfast as he stood up and walked into the kitchen.  "Just don't burn the toast!" Emily shouted as he had head searching the refrigerator.  "Toast...how do you make toast?!" he replied as she rolled her eyes like "oh brother, we're in trouble if he don't know how to make toast".  "I'm kidding..you make toast with that little appliance thing with the two slits in the top, right?" he replied teasingly.  "Maybe I should make breakfast before you burn the place down." she replied as she started to get up off the sofa.  "Em..I'm kidding.  You sit and I'll make breakfast." he replied as he got the frying pan from the lower cupboard.  "Alright...if you think you can." she replied as she whispered it to herself.  Guaranteed he'd be asking for her help by the count of 5.  He surprised her this time and had made the whole breakfast by himself..and the house was still standing.  She chuckled to herself "If she hadn't seen it, she wouldn't of believed it."  Zander made breakfast.

After clearing the table and washing up the dishes, they returned to their seats on the sofa.  "So, what do you want to do now.." he asked as his hand found her inner thigh.  "I could think of a few things we could do.  But I really only find one interesting." she replied as she drew him closer to her.  "And what might that be..." he replied with a grin.  Knowing full well what she meant.   "Well we could do this..." she said as she flipped through the channels on the television.  "Or we could do..." she said as she ran her fingers through his black hair. "...this"  as her mouth met his and he then cradled her head and in one smooth motion pulled her down on him as he laid back on the sofa.  Their kiss deepened as he slid his hand along the inside of the lapel of the silk robe she was wearing.  He couldn't resist her advances.  She was even more beautiful than the day before and needed to feel her touch as he slipped the silk material off her shoulder and exposed her soft skin underneath.  As he caressed along her back, he kissed her softly along her shoulder and down her front savoring every touch.  He hesitated for a brief moment and looked into her beautiful green eyes.  "Why did you stop?" she said trying to catch her breath.  "I'm not sure we should..I mean I don't want to hurt you...." he replied as she pulled back.  "Zander...the doctor said it would be alright up until my eighth month.  It's okay..." she replied as she made advances to continue.  Still with concern, he continued by slipping off the silk robe completely and tossed it on the floor along side of them.

It was late afternoon and Zander and Emily still lying intertwined on the sofa draped in the afghan that hung over the sofa.  Both feeling fulfilled by the love they just made.  She knowing they loved each other was all she needed and she knew that everything would be alright.

Chapter 11
 

The hospital elevator was full when Monica stepped on to take it to the fourth floor.  It was usually busy every morning when she came in to work, but today was different for her.  Many days had passed since Monica heard from Jason and she was now getting worried, but if he had any news he would call.  It wasn't like Jason to go for days and not call her, something was wrong.  She went about her busy day as usual trying not to bring attention to the fact she was in a panic about her daughter and grand-child.  Not knowing was the worst part of this situation.  The hospital had called her in last night for an emergency surgery and it had been a few hours since she checked her messages, so maybe he did call her and she was unaware of it.  Monica could only hope and pray that they were alright.  She knew Sonny would protect them, but Emily was with child, if she needed medical attention...no, she couldn't think like that...Emily was fine and right now, she needed to focus on work and her patients.  Work was the only thing keeping her sane right now.  This whole situation with Sorel and Zander had really put her off keel and she need to focus and concentrate on her work to get her through the day.

Monica made her way to her office and as she passed the nurses station she stopped off to get any messages that may have been left for her while she was in surgery.  There were no messages from Jason, but she didn't think there would be, he would call her cell and not the hospital.  Monica opened the door to her office and took a seat behind her desk.  She laid the medical charts she had in her hands down on the desk and started flipping through them.  In one quick instant a thought came to her...a baby shower.  Emily was now a little over seven months and Monica knew because of the incident with the apartment she was sure Emily lost everything she had bought for the baby.  A baby shower certainly would be a surprise for Emily when she returned home.  She needed to make arrangements and she knew just who to call.

As she reached for the phone to make a few calls, her cell phone rang.  Monica shuffled through her bag to find her cell.  She flipped it open and said "Hello, Dr. Quartermaine."  She was praying to God it was Jason with news.  She was surprised when she heard the voice respond.."Mom, it's me..."  Shocked at hearing the voice hesitated with her response..."Emily...where are you? Oh, honey we have been so worried about you.." "I know mom, but I'm fine really.  Jason told me tell you that he is sorry for not calling, but he figured that you would rather hear this from me..." Emily replied.  A million thoughts ran through her mind when she heard her daughter say that...good and bad ones.  "Tell me what?..." Monica replied not knowing how to prepare herself for this news.  "Mom, we're coming home...Sorel is no longer a threat to us and we are coming home." Emily said with a sigh of relief.  Monica was so happy to hear that...her daughter was coming home.  After weeks of being away, she could finally embrace her daughter once again.  "When Emily...when are you coming home?  And where are you going stay now that you don't have your apartment?" Monica inquired as she felt overcome with joy that things were alright.  "Sonny got us another place to stay and he has taken care of everything, so you don't have to worry about where I'll be living.  As soon as we get there I'll call you."  "Alright, I'll wait to hear from you later today, then. And Emily..I love you." Monica replied as she flipped closed the file she had been reading.  "I love you too, Mom..I'll talk to you later.." Emily replied as her end of the conversation went dead.  Monica flipped her cell phone closed and stuff it back in her bag.

If her daughter was coming home today, the baby shower needed to be arranged.  There were so many things to be done and now so little time.  Monica picked up the phone receiver and pressed a number into the key pad.   "Chloe..it's Monica.  Could I meet with you?" Monica said as the call was answered on the other end.  "Great...I'll see you in a few minutes.." she replied as they made arrangements to meet at L&B momentarily.  Monica gathered her things and closed the door behind her.  She headed for the elevator when she saw Alan standing at the nurses station retrieving his messages.  "Alan..." she shouted from across the way.  "Monica, what is it..did something happen to Emily.." he replied as he rushed over to where she stood waiting for the elevator.  "No this is good news...Emily and Zander are coming home.  The Sorel situation has been taken care of....their coming home." she replied as she embraced him tightly.  "Oh thank God....when? When she coming home?" he replied as his strong arms tightened.  "Sometime today...she said she'd call me when they got back and settled in their new place." she replied as she broke the embrace.  "New place?...what new place?" he inquired as the elevator signaled it had arrived.  "Sonny got them a new place...but I'm late to meet with Chloe about a baby shower.  I'll explain later." she replied as she turned and stepped into the elevator.  "Okay..call me.." Alan replied with a smile and the doors to the elevator began to close.
 

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Zander and Emily had packed all their things in duffle bags Jason had brought for them weeks prior.  They were just waiting for him to come pick them up to take them back to Port Charles.  They were relieved that the situation with Sorel was finally over and that they could now live without the notion of looking over their shoulder every second of the day.  Zander's dealings with Sorel and his organization could finally be buried in the past where it belonged.  It was time to move on to bigger and better things.  Emily was soon going to deliver a baby boy, they had a new place to live, and Zander was moving deeper into Sonny's organization.  They didn't live a normal life, but it was normal for them.

It was now around noon as Zander noticed a limo pulling up to the house and observed as Jason stepped out from the back seat.  Zander gathered the duffle bags in his hands and placed them at the bottom of the stairs as Emily grabbed her back pack and slid her arms through the straps.  They were finally going home.  After almost four weeks of being away from Port Charles, and living in the safe house, it was the only thing they had thought about the last few days.  Sunshine, and fresh air.  Two things that they had not been exposed to for quite a while.  Jason strutted down the stairs to where Zander and Emily stood waiting for him.  "So, it looks like the two of you are ready to go home?" he asked as he reached down for the duffle bags that lay at his feet.  "And it's about time...it's a nice place to visit..but I don't think I'd want to live here." Zander said as he turned and looked at Jason.  "Do ya's have everything?" Jason said as he seemed to be speaking to Emily.  "Yes...I have all of it packed..but wait.." she said as she dropped her back pack on the sofa. "Now what?..." Zander questioned he noticed she did so.  "I gotta go to the bathroom before we go..." she replied as she turned and quickly walked towards the bedroom door.  "You just went...no more than 5 minutes ago.." he shouted to her  "I know...but I gotta go again.." she shouted in return with a giggle.  "Women!" he replied.

Emily returned a few moments later as Zander noticed her fixing her blouse so she looked just perfect.  "Okay..let's go before I have to go again."  she replied as she slid her arms through the straps on her backpack.  She was now experiencing the truth of pregnancy.  It seemed she was in the bathroom every five minutes.  She couldn't help it, when she had to go..she had to go.  The three of them loaded their gear in the trunk and Jason opened the back door for Emily so she could step into the limo.  She took the seat along the window so she would have room to sprawl out on the seat.  Her back had been bothering for a while now, and the trip home was just gonna kill her if she had to sit in one position for very long.  Once they were all in, Jason knocked on the partition for the driver to head back to Port Charles.

The drive wasn't terribly long, but it was long enough.  For Emily it felt like forever since she was in Port Charles.  She missed her friends and her family and she desperately want to see them again.  She was not concerned in the least about the new life that was about to begin.  Her and Zander had waited a long time to be happy and now with Sorel out of the picture it looked like their happiness was about to become a reality.

Zander and Jason discussed quietly what lied ahead for he and Emily.  Jason had expressed his ideas about allowing Zander to proceed with the responsibilities Sonny had offered him.  The offer would of brought Zander into the business dealings of the coffee business as well as being more involved as Jason was.  Emily had also expressed her feelings about this decision and had felt that it would be a good move for Zander.  He had been involved with the organization for more than a year and had already moved quickly through the ranks.  Sonny trusted him completely and Zander knew it.  He would never disappoint or betray Sonny again.  He learned his lesson the first time and knew that Sonny would do anything to protect he and Emily.  The organization was their life.  For the exception of Sorel, this life had been good to them.  It had brought many things to their life, he would of never been able to provide his wife if he had worked a regular nine to five job.  He started out that way working in the warehouse and he worked hard to become an intricate part of Sonny's organization.  It may be a dangerous lifestyle to lead and it can turn deadly...but this was the life that became normal for he and Emily.  He was now her protector and he promised never to have harm come to her.  The three of them have vowed to keep her safe and she deserved everything life had to offer.  He knew she would be just as happy without many of the expensive things, cause she was just like that.  She didn't need money to make her happy...she only needed him.  He made her happy and she had him from that night in the motel room.  Looking back on it, he didn't realize it then, but he does now...that he saw something special in Emily that night and knew she would be the one to change his life.

The long black limo drove past the Port Charles city limits sign and Emily became anxious at the thought of seeing her family and friends.  The driver seemed to know where they were going as he made a left turn at the first stop they came to.  Zander and Emily knew about the new apartment Sonny had leased for them since they lost everything when the loft exploded over a month ago.  The limo slowed it's speed as they came upon a fairly tall building.  It had one of those canopies on the front and a doorman who was gracious enough to open the door of the limo as the stopped in front.  "You're home..." Jason said as he exited the limo.  Zander and Emily looked at each other a little puzzled, because the building they had pulled up to was the Port Charles Towers.  "Sonny has arranged for the two of you to live in one of the apartments on the 20th floor.  He has paid the lease for three years so take this as a welcome home present from him and Carly." Jason added as he grabbed the bags from the trunk.  The three of them entered the hotel and wandered towards the elevators.  Zander and Emily not knowing what to say about Sonny's gift, and for the first time speechless.  Sonny and Carly had done so much for them already, they didn't have to do this too.  As the elevator came to a stop on the 20th floor, Jason led the way to their new home.  The halls of the hotel were lit with beautiful sconces that held a cone shape bulb, the walls were beautifully wallpapered with a intricate design and a dark wooden molding about half way down meeting the wooden slatted sections to the floor.

Jason took the key out of his jeans pocket and unlocked the door of the new apartment...2020P.  Emily and Zander stood in awe of the appearance of the apartment.  It was spacious and it was very beautifully decorated.  They set the bags in the so called foyer and wandered into the living room area.  Emily fell into the sofa that was of leather material as Zander meandered through the other lower areas of the apartment.  There was a short staircase that led up to the two bedrooms and the main bath.  It was certainly something they would not of expected.  The kitchen was done in black and stainless steel, the countertops in a gray granite, and he noticed a center island that contained a stainless steel sink with a wooden rack overhead filled with bottles wine and crystal glasses.  He turned and wandered back into the living room area where Emily was peering out the window that overlooked the city below.  Jason stood in the foyer observing their every move about the apartment waiting for them to say something.  Finally the moment of truth was spoken as Zander turned to him and said "Would you tell Sonny that we appreciate the welcome home gift and ask him how we can every repay him for everything he had done for us.."  "No need for thank yous..." Jason replied as he placed the apartment key on the table by the door.  "Sonny wants the two of you to be happy now that Sorel is no longer a threat....so enjoy it.  The two of you deserve this." he added as he turned to leave.  "Jason..." Emily cried out.   "I know..." he said and closed the door behind him.

Zander and Emily stood in their new apartment for a few moments embracing each other and looking forward to their new beginnings.
 

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Monica wandered into L&B as Chloe came out from her office sketching a design on her sketch pad she held in her hands.  Chloe heard the door open and noticed Monica walk in and remove her coat.  "So, what can I help you with, Monica?" Chloe asked as she laid the sketch pad on the conference table.  "A baby shower!" she replied as they walked towards each other.  "A baby shower for Emily?...what a great idea?!" Chloe answered as she and Monica went to sit down on the sofa.  Monica hadn't told anyone that she and Zander had been living elsewhere but since they were coming home today, she saw no reason to keep their whereabouts a secret.  "She and Zander have a new place to live..thanks to Sonny and I thought it would be high time Emily had a some happiness." Monica said as she got comfortable in her seat.  "Sounds like fun...what do you need?" Chloe replied as she got excited about making the plans.  "Well, everything. I've been so busy at the hospital, I was hoping that between you, Elizabeth and myself we should be able to pull this off without Emily finding out.  "Oooh a surprise baby shower..I like it!" she replied as Elizabeth came down the stairs.  "What's a surprise?" Elizabeth replied as she made her way over to the conversation.  "Emily's baby shower...wanna help?" Chloe said as Elizabeth took a seat in the chair closest to them.  "Do you even have to ask? Sure I'll help what do you need me to do?"  "Well, Monica figured that between the three of us, we should be able to pull a great party together." Chloe responded.  "I was thinking of the PC Grille.  It's neutral." Monica said as Elizabeth and Chloe were in thought about the plans.  "Okay, the PC Grille...now invitations and the guest list." Chloe suggested as Elizabeth got up for a pad and pen to write this all down. When she returned to the conversation, she started writing a list of invitees.

As Elizabeth made a list of guests to invite for the baby shower, Chloe and Monica discussed the other arrangements.  What was supposed to be a few moment discussion turned into a few hours.  Monica wanted to make Emily's baby shower special and with the help of Chloe and Elizabeth, it would be.  Elizabeth finished with the guest list and started to rattle off the names she had thought of.  "Okay, we have the following on the guest list...speak up if you want others added as well...the three of us who sit here...Lila..Gia..Alexis...Carly...Bobbie..and Felicia...anyone I'm missing."  Chloe and Monica repeated the names to themselves and responded simultaneously "No."   "Good, then we can get these in the mail sometime tomorrow.  Now we have a little problem...of when we are going to spring this on Emily." Monica and Chloe both took their date books in their hands and flipped through their calendars.  "How bout two weeks from now?" Monica replied as she pointed her finger to a Saturday two weeks from today.  "Sounds good to me...I have plans the following week in Milan but I'm free that weekend." Chloe replied agreeing with Monica's suggestion.  "I'll call the PC Grille before we make it definite." Elizabeth said as she rose from her seat and walked towards the phone on the desk.  "Great!...We'll see you then!" Elizabeth replied with a huge grin on her face.  She hung up the phone and re joined Chloe and Monica.  "The PC Grille would be glad to have us that day.  So things with them are set.  The shower was really coming together as Monica's cell phone rang.  She reached in her bag to pull out the phone.  She flipped it open and said.."Dr. Quartermaine.." "Mom, I'm home!" the voice replied.  "Oh my God...Emily! You're home! Where? Can I come see you?" she replied with joy and excitement to hear from her.  "Mom...I'm at the Port Charles Towers...Apartment 2020P." she replied. "Well, would you like some company?  I have Elizabeth and Chloe here with me...I'm sure they would love to see you." Monica answered as the three of them held hands across the table hoping Emily would say yes.  "Sure..I'll see you guys in a few minutes than." she replied getting excited about seeing her family and Elizabeth again. "Okay..we'll be there." Monica replied as she hesitated than flipped the cell phone closed.
 

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While Emily was on the phone calling Monica, Zander had taken the bags upstairs to the bedroom.  He was gone for a little while so she too headed upstairs to check on him.  "Zander..." she called.  "In here, Em..." he responded from the master bedroom.  She wandered in the direction of his voice and she noticed the second bedroom door was ajar.  Her curiosity got the best of her as she sneaked a peak inside.  She stood in awe at the site of the beautifully decorated nursery.  She had everything she could ever want for her new baby.  The walls had baby zoo animals scattered about in a neutral color and it had a neutral color wall to wall carpeting.  She noticed a mahogany crib in the corner and a mahogany rocker sat next to it with a mint green baby quilt draped over the back.  Tears filled her eyes as she was looking into the nursery where soon their precious baby boy would sleep.  "Zander..uh..Zand.." she began as a stray tear fell from the corner of her eye.  He heard her call him and he came up from behind her and wrapped his strong arms about her.  "Who did all this? " she said quietly to him as she looked up at his face.  "I don't know..honest I don't. But who ever did this...they did a really nice job." he replied  As they stood in amazement of the decorations in the room, there was a knock at the front door.  "I'll get it.." he whispered as he leaned in close enough she could feel his whisper against her neck.  "Okay..It's probably my mom.." she replied as she watched him walk down the few stairs towards the door.  Emily stood a few moments listening to who was at the door before she wandered downstairs to greet her guests.

The apartment was situated at the end of a long hallway and Jason had already assigned a new guard at their door.  Zander had gotten only a few feet from the door when Antonio opened the door and announce their guests.  Antonio was a muscular brut who had been working for Sonny in Puerto Rico for a while.  He was a tall man with a darker complexion, deep set eyes and soft dark brown hair. Monica, Chloe, and Elizabeth noticed Antonio as they passed by him when they entered the apartment.  The three ladies certainly couldn't resist the temptation to look at the handsome brut who announced them.  Monica noticed Emily descend from upstairs as she politely nodded to Zander who stood by the door when they entered.  Emily ran quickly into her mother's arms as Chloe and Elizabeth followed with an embrace as well.  The four of them had so much to talk about and Zander knew this was his time to vacate a room filled with women.  "Zander.. where you going..." Emily said as she notice he was trying sneak away quietly.  "Who...me? Well, I thought..uh..I give the four of you a chance to talk without me hangin around." he replied as he turned cause he knew he was caught sneaking out of the room.  "Stay...please." Monica replied as she turned and walked over to him.  "Come..on. We promise no girl talk." she added as she led him by the arm to the sofa.  Zander confused by the invitation to sit with four women..but beautiful women they were. "So...when did ya's get home?" Elizabeth asked as the four sat in the make shif living room.  The living room was really in the center of an open area between the stairs and the kitchen area.  "About an hour ago..we really had no idea this is what we would come back to." Zander replied as he and Emily sat together on the large leather sofa.  "So who's the new guard..." Chloe asked as she glanced towards the door.  "He is Antonio.  Sonny arranged for him when we got home." Emily replied as she noticed it peaked Chloe's interest.

They visited for a while before Monica looked at her watch and noticed she needed to get back to the hospital.  "Well, I gotta get back to the hospital and I'm sure Chloe and Elizabeth want to get things done for Milan, so I think we will say thank you for allowing us this visit." Monica said as she rose from her seat.  "Mom, you don't need my permission to visit with me. None of you do..just stop by." Emily replied as Zander assisted her in getting up off the sofa.  Chloe noticed that Emily wasn't having it easy getting up or down now that she was late in her seven month.  "I swear if I get any bigger, I will need to stay permanently on the sofa." she added as she followed the group to the door.  "Aw..Em...You'll be find out when you hold your baby boy in your hands that it will all be worth it." her mother replied as she kissed her softly on the cheek.  "I know..but I would like him out sooner than later. The kicking the ribs is the worst..he certainly has great timing." Emily giggled as she looked at Zander.  He knew right away what she meant.  The baby has been kicking her lately during their quiet moments in bed.  Zander is hoping that he will grow out of this little habit once he joins them in the real world.  He opened the door for the ladies as they all said their good-byes and again noticed Antonio outside the door standing guard. Antonio closed the door as Emily and Zander were overcame with a sigh of relief.

"Okay, that went well..." he said as he made his way back to the sofa.  "Didn't it though?" she asked as she sat down beside him.  "What do you want to do about dinner?" he asked as he looked at his watch which read four o'clock.  She looked at him and grinned..."How bout pepperoni pizza and Pixie Sticks?!"  Just the sound of that made his stomach churn.  "Eww. God..where do you come up with these things..." he replied with a corny look on his face. "What no Pixie Sticks?" ...she replied as she turned and looked at him.  "No...pepperoni pizza.." he responded with a little chuckle under his breath.  "You don't like pepperoni pizza? You're kidding right?" "Plain will suit me just fine..." he said as he reached for the phone that sat on the coffee table.  "Okay..plain pizza with Pixie Sticks.." she replied with a giggle.  "Em...I don't think the kitchen will have Pixie Sticks..." "No..but the corner store does.." she replied hoping the hint would get Zander to go get her some.  "Okay...I got the hint..I'll be right back." he said as he kissed her on the cheek.

Zander got up and walked towards the door as looked back at her with a grin. "Grape!...make sure their grape." she said as he reached for his keys.  "Grape..gotcha. The whole box?" he answered as he turned and waited for her response.  "If they have it..Get them now, it'll save you a trip tonight!" she replied.  With that Zander walked out the door headed for the corner store for Pixie Sticks of all things.  As Zander walked out the door, Emily made a phone call to the local pizzeria for take out.  By the time he would return with her grape Pixie Sticks, the pizza should be here.  She thought about how long it has been since she had a piece of pizza.  It had been quite a while, since the first few months of her pregnancy any sight or smell of food made her sick.  But now, she was hungry all the time.

She couldn't believe her craving for grape Pixie Sticks...of all things.  But Zander was such a sweetheart to go down to the corner store and buy her some.  She hoped he would remember to buy the whole box if they had one...cause these cravings usually lasted all night.  One wouldn't be enough.

Zander returned the apartment with a whole box of grape Pixie Sticks in his hands as Antonio noticed he needed help opening the door.  Before he closed the door behind him, the pizza delivery guy was waiting for his tip.  "Antonio.." Zander said as he nodded to pay the man.  "Yes sir.." he responded as he dug deep in his pocket for the exact change.

Zander walked into the apartment and set the box of Emily's pixie sticks and his keys down on the table by the door. "Ah...pixie sticks!" Emily yelled with glee as she saw the purple box sitting there on the table.  She noticed that Zander had turned and was holding the pizza she ordered.  Emily got up as fast as she could and rushed over to get her hands on the box before he conned her out of them.  He was good at that...making deals with her..however she was always the one who ended up with owing him.  As he turned to come back into the apartment, he noticed she had the box in her hands and walking back towards the sofa.

"Hey...where you going with those.." he said jokingly.  "With what?" she replied as she almost had the box opened. "With those pixie sticks...what you ain't sharing..again?" "What do you mean..again?" ..she questioned.  "Do I have to remind you of those pixie stick fights we have had..?"  "Oh, those..well if you want some come getcha some!" she replied tempting him.  They laughed and playfully wrestled on the sofa for the pixie sticks...until it turned into something more than pixie sticks they wanted.  They came nose to nose with each other and he drew her closer and planted a playful kiss on her purple lips.  It seemed that she was holding out on him, and had eaten one already from the box.  "Now, who's holding out on whom?" he replied as he broke the kiss.  She licked her lips trying to remove the grape color from them and replied.."Who...I didn't eat one.." knowing full well he tasted the grape sugar on her lips.  "Oh..you didn't...then why do you have grape sugar on your upper lip?" he asked.  "Where..?"  "Right...here.." he replied as he kissed her lip where the grape sugar glittered.  Neither of them realized that their dinner was getting cold.  There was nothing that could tear these two apart when they got like this.

The two of them sprawled out on the sofa in relaxing positions and just enjoyed each other's company for a change.  Zander and Emily could finally have a peaceful night to themselves.  And they were going to take full advantage of it.  "Antonio.." Zander yelled towards the door.  "Sir?" he replied as the door opened.  "No visitors tonight..okay."  "Yes..sir." Antonio replied as he closed the door once again.

The sun had gone down on Port Charles and the stars twinkled in the night sky as Zander and Emily stood in front of the window.  He stood behind her as she peered out looking across the tall buildings towards the bay.  He wrapped his arms around her and leaned in and kissed her on the temple.  They stood there just counting the stars in the night sky as well as counting their blessings for everything they held dear.

Chapter 12
 

Monday morning bright and early Zander had mentioned to Emily it may be a good idea to make an appointment with Dr. Meadows...just as a precautionary measure.  The stress of the last month or so has been tremendous on both of them, Emily especially.  Emily agreed she would make an appointment with Dr. Meadows today, but first she wanted to see Grandmother.  She hadn't seen her in a long time, so she was way overdue for a visit.  Emily made a phone call over to the house and spoke with Reginald.  She gave him notice that she was coming over to see Grandmother and asked if he would tell her she was coming.

Zander stood in the foyer waiting for Emily to gather her keys before heading out to see her family.  He took her arm and pulled her close to him as he leaned down and kissed her lightly on her glossy lips.  Emily had just added a few touches of lip gloss and now Zander was wearing some as well.  She giggled at the sight of Zander wearing lip gloss as she turned towards the door.  Antonio was posted outside the door and was instructed to take Emily to the Quartermaine mansion to see her folks.  He nodded in agreement with Zander's instructions.  He watched the two of them head for the elevators that were at the end of the hallway and reassured himself she would be okay out and about by herself.  Zander had given strict instructions to the drivers as well as the guards to keep their eye on her...this late in the pregnancy anything could happen and knowing their luck it probably would.

Antonio walked closely to Emily and opened the passenger side door to the limo for her.  She stepped in and made herself comfortable for the short ride to the mansion.  She noticed that the streets of their little town were sure busy today.  She thought a moment and guessed because it was a Monday morning traffic in Port Charles would be fairly heavy with people going to work.  They made their way to the edge of town and veered off into the long driveway that led up to the mansion.  She was getting those butterflies again and didn't really understand why.  She had done this so many times before, but she guessed because this would be the first time without Zander along.  He had been so protective of her when it came to her family.

Antonio parked the car at the front door and once again opened the car door for her.  He assisted her as she stepped out onto the blacktop drive.  She told him she could be all afternoon that he could wait in the side employee quarters with the rest of the drivers if he wanted.  She would have Reginald come get him when she was ready to go home.  He nodded in agreement as he led her to the front door of the mansion.  She knocked casually on the door a few times and it only took a few moments before Reginald opened it.  He was so happy to see her, he gave her a hello hug to welcome her back home.  Reginald was so sweet and cared very much for her.

"Hello Reginald...can you tell Grandmother that I am here to see her.." Emily said as she placed her bag on the chair in the foyer.  "Sure...I'll be right back." he replied as he started to walk away.  "Reginald...is the rest of the family here.." she asked not knowing why in the world she did.  "Your father and grandfather are in the living room..I'll tell Lila you'll meet her there.." he replied as he scooted up the stairs.

Emily took a deep breath as she entered the living room where her Grandfather was sitting comfortably on the large chair, while her father has sitting on the sofa looking over some papers.  "Good morning.." she announced when she walked into the room.  "Emily...what do we owe this pleasure?" her grandfather replied as she walked over to him and embraced him.  "Grandmother.  I figured I hadn't see her in a long time...I thought I'd better stop by and visit." she replied as her father rose from his seat.  "It's good to see you..Em." he said as he leaned in and kissed her cheek.  Emily was pleasantly surprised by their welcome..normally they have some snide comment about Zander being a deviant or a criminal and how she shouldn't be involved with him...but this time, this time seemed odd.  She didn't question it, because she didn't want to start another argument.

Reginald walked in and whispered to her that Lila would like to see her upstairs in Lila's room.  Emily excused herself from the room and followed Reginald up the stairs to the bedroom.  Lila sat with one of her assistants waiting for her.  Emily quickly rushed over and kissed her grandmother on the cheek as Lila reached out her hand for her to come sit with her.  Emily did so as she pulled a chair from the corner and sat down beside Lila's wheelchair.  "Emily, my dear...there is much we need to talk about." Lila said as she held Emily's hand.  "Alright, what do you want to talk with me about." Emily replied listening intently to what her grandmother had to say.  "First, how are you and the baby?" Lila asked as Monica peeked her head in the door.  "I'm fine and the baby is fine...I'm planning on seeing Dr. Meadows for a check-up." Emily replied reassuring Lila she was staying healthy. "Come in Monica..." Lila said as she noticed Monica standing in the doorway.  "I didn't mean to interupt.." she replied as she walked into the room.  Emily enjoyed every minute she spent with her grandmother.  She was the only one who had supported her through it all and she took to Zander right away.  "Your mother and I have decided to give you something special for the baby." Lila said as Monica drew closer to the conversation and took a seat on the edge of the bed.  "A surprise...I love surprises!" Emily said elated about getting a something special.  "You and your mother will have to go and get down from the attic.  I'll have Reginald show you where it is." Lila replied as she noticed the excitement in Emily's eyes.  "No need to call Reginald..we'll find it..." Monica said as she rose from her seat.  Monica assisted Emily from her chair and they walked towards the door.  Monica closed the door behind them as they walked to the end of the hall to the door that led to the attic.  It had been years since Monica was on the attic but she wanted so badly to give the christening gown to Emily, it was well worth the trip up another flight of stairs.

Monica and Emily began searching the many trunks that were scattered around the attic.  Many had old clothes and blankets that Lila had stored away for many years.  Emily and Monica decided to split the room in half so each had their own half to search.  As Monica searched the one half for the gown through many boxes, Emily's side had quite a few old trunks to look through.  As Emily searched through the old trunk she had opened, she was surprised to what she had found.  "Mom....look." Emily said as she held a stack of letters that were tied in a ribbon that looked to be red at one time.  The letters were obviously old, they had watermarks and the paper had faded with age.  "What are they?" Monica asked as she examined the envelopes.  "They appear to be love letters, Mom..from grandfather to grandmother." Emily replied as she untied the ribbon.  "Emily....you shouldn't..." To late Emily already had the top letter open and reading it before she even got her complete thought out.  Emily read a portion of the letter to herself as her eyes welled with tears.  Monica noticed her eyes started to fill with tears.  "Emily, are you okay?..." her mother asked her as Emily turned to her.  "Read this...." she said as she handed the letter to her mother.  Monica took the letter from her hand and started to read it.  "Oh, how sad..." she gasped at the words written in black ink that were barely readible.  "Could this be true?.." Emily asked as Monica folded the letter back up and gently placed it back in the envelope.  "I don't know...I mean..I never seen these before.." she replied as she examined the post mark on the envelopes.  "It seems these were written back in 19...1944.." Monica added hesitantly because the the postmark was faded so badly she could hardly read the date.  Monica left it at that as she began searching once again for the christening gown.  She turned her back for a brief moment and Emily scurried down the attic steps. "Emily..." Monica shouted as she noticed the letters were no longer in the trunk.

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Zander had made a few business calls while Emily was out and than decided to meet up with Sonny to get the scoop about what had happened with Sorel.  He had never really told Zander the whole story, and Zander got curious.  He was about to head out the door when the phone rang.  "Hello.." Zander said as he initially held the receiver to his ear.  "Alexis..how are you?" ... "Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes.." With that he hung the phone up and grabbed his keys from the table and walked out the door.  He took the elevator down to the lobby and said pleasantries to the door man as he stepped outside in the fresh air of the morning.  It had been cloudy for a few days, but this morning the sun was shining and there were very few clouds in the blue sky above.  He stood there a moment and took a deep breath of fresh air.  He was sure counting his blessings right at this moment.

It wasn't far to Alexis's penthouse, he'd walk.  He headed down the street and turned the corner to head towards the PC Hotel.  He was met by the doorman as he opened the large glass doors of the hotel.  Zander headed for the elevators and signaled for one to take him up to the penthouse.  He was always aware of his surroundings and who was standing close to him.  It was a habit and it was hard to break.  He noticed a younger man on the telephone who was standing behind the registration desk and also an older women sitting in the lounge reading the morning paper.  He stepped onto the elevator pressed PH.

The elevator soon came to a stop and the doors opened with Johnny there to greet him.  "Hey, Johnny...how are you?" Zander said with a pat on the shoulder as he turned and walked to Alexis's door.  He knocked a few times before she answered...he wondered if she was even home.  The last time he was standing at Alexis's door he had heard bad news about Sorel, so he was prepared to hear the worst once the door opened.  Alexis opened the door and he noticed she was on the phone.  She motioned for him to come and take a seat on the sofa.  He did as she closed the door behind him.  She was only a few moments on the phone and he waited patiently for her.  She hung up the phone and grabbed a file folder from the desk and came to sit down on the chair next to him.

"Is there aproblem?" he asked hesitantly...not knowing if that was a good question to ask his attorney. " No, not a problem...just a glitch." she replied as she opened up the folder on the table in front of her.  He didn't like that word either...gliche, problem, wrench in the works...none of them were popular in his vocabulary.  "What kind of glitch?" he asked.  "Well....you tell me?" she said as she sprawled the papers across the manilla folder they were in.  He looked down at the papers on the table and noticed they were photographs of people...people he knew...people from his past...people he would like to forget.  There were many things that he didn't reveal to anyone during the past two years of living in Port Charles...not even Emily.  His past was buried and he wanted to keep it that way.

"Alexis..where did you get these?" he said as he gazed at the photographs.  "Never you mind where I got them...I want you to explain them to me..." she said in a forceful tone.  He felt so consumed with guilt at that moment.  He never wanted any of his past to come out...he had left it behind in Florida and he just wish it would stay there.  He was running from his conscience, and running as fast as he could.  The news of these photographs could put a wedge between he and Emily and he didn't want that to happen.  They had worked so hard to be together...these secrets would be the end...or at least a major problem for them to work through...if they could work through it.

Zander picked up one of the photographs and slid his finger across the face that stared back at him.  He hadn't seen her in almost 3 years...it felt like it was just yesterday.  Zander started to remember his time spent with her before he took off for places unknown.  He would never forgive himself for running away from his problems..but it was either them or me.  He ran to protect those he cared about, he ran to save their lives.  And he ran as far as Canada to protect them.  He never intended to forget them or to neglect his responsibilities..he would never do that..he wasn't like that...but it got a little too close for comfort with dangerous people and he needed to skip town fast.

"Zander...talk to me...who are they and how do you know them?" Alexis asked as she noticed he was in another world.  "Where shall I start..." he asked.  "Start with the truth.." she replied as he rose from his seat.  "Alright...about 5 years ago, I met this girl...I was a football player in high school and she was the most popular girl..." he began.  "Continue..." Alexis replied as she leaned back against the cushion of the chair.  "I had gotten into some trouble with betting on games and I lost big...I mean big money. By this time I was a senior in high school and getting ready to graduate.  Steph and I had been seeing each other about 2 years and it was getting serious.  Very serious.  Serious enough to sleep with her." he replied as he rubbed his hand against his forhead.  "You didn't..." Alexis replied.  "Yes we did....the night of graduation.  The best night of my life...I knew that night that I was in love with Steph and that we would be together for a long time." he replied as he poured himself a glass of water from the pitcher on the counter.  He never in a million years thought he would be reliving his past...especially with his attorney.  "And..." she questioned as she urged him on to continue with the story.  "And...I was in debt up to my eyeballs.  I was dabbling in alot of things back then...alot of things. And none of the any good.  But Steph was like Emily...she didn't care she wanted to be with me...and at that time I didn't care either...oh God she was..."  "Go on..." Alexis said clearing her throat.  "Well needless to say I got hooked up with the wrong crowd after high school and got in deeper.  By this time, Steph was 3 months along."  he said as hesitated.  "Zander...she wasn't...how..." Alexis questioned as he sat back down and picked up one of the photographs.  "Alexis, I honestly don't know...it wasn't planned..hell, I was only 18 and so was she...we were not ready to be parents...Anyway, after the baby was born..we started receiving threats and started getting harassed by the crowd I had thought were my best buds.  They threatened her and the baby and I couldn't take the chance of having them get hurt..." he replied as he placed his head in his hands.  "So...what you left...?" she asked a little confused as to why he would do such a thing.  "There wasn't anything else to do...Look, it was either I leave or they get hurt...Alexis those were my choices. I didn't want to, God knows I didn't want to...but I made the only choice I could." he replied in desperation.  "You could of took her with you..or at least sent for her..." she said as she moved and sat next to him.  "Alexis I tried that...she didn't want to leave Florida and I couldn't stay.  She had family there and besides when I called her to give her the option, I found myself talking to someone who I didn't know anymore."  "So you left your girlfriend and child in Florida to fend for themselves while you took off for places unknown....is that about right?" Alexis asked forcefully.  "No..that's not right...she had moved back with her family who were mega millionaires...she was welcomed back with open arms now that I was gone and she had the baby.  I was crushed that she would keep my child away from me...my child!" he cried.  "Zander, look..I appreciate your honesty with me..I really do...but she is back.  And she is wanting you to take the responsibility of Alexandra."  Alexis replied as she tried to comfort him.  "Now, she wants me in her life..now she needs me.  I wasn't any good to her 2 years ago..but now I am. Man...!  How do you know this...?" he asked as he turned and looked at Alexis.  "This came with the photographs..." she handed him a letter that was hand written.  Zander took the letter from Alexis and rose out of his seat.  He knew it was Steph's hand writing, he could just tell by the little funny hearts she used to dot her "i"'s.  As he read the letter Alexis examined the photographs and stared at the face of Zander's daughter that stared back at her.  She looked just like him, the dark hair and his dark eyes...she was his child through and through.  Zander walked around the penthouse in a daze, not knowing what to do or what to say.  He couldn't believe this.  After all he and Emily had been through, his past has returned to haunt him.  He tried so hard to explain it away.  He wasn't like that anymore...back than he was a total jerk and a jock to boot.  He was a follower than and did what everyone else wanted him to.  Because of Emily he now was the leader.  The leader of his own life.

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Emily scurried down the spiral staircase and into the living room where Edward and Alan sat still conversing about ELQ business.  "Em..what's the matter?" Alan replied as he noticed her rushing into the room in panic.  "Grandfather, I would like a straight answer from you...." she said as she stood in front of him with the love letters hidden behind her back.  "Okay..about what?" he asked curiously.  "About Zander....I want to know the honest truth why you hate him so.." she inquired.  "Emily....I don't like him because he hurt you..he kidnapped you, and he is a drug dealer, he worked for Sorel...shall I go on?" Edward replied as he rose from his chair.  "No...the real reasons...I've heard those excuses before...I want to hear the truth...dammit.." Emily replied forcefully.  With that Edward's blood pressure was rising at the thought of his precious Emily speaking to him like that.  As they stood in the living room, Monica walked in and attempted to speak to Emily.  "Mom...don't...I'd like to hear Grandfather's explaination.  "Where is this coming from?" he questioned.  "From these....I want to know about these.." she replied as she showed him the love letters she found. Edward was shocked to see the letters she held in her hands.  He hadn't seen them in fifty years...and he was flabbergasted at the thought of them.

Edward sat down in his seat fearing he would pass out from the shock of seeing the love letters he had written to Lila so many years ago.  "Emily...where did you find them?" he asked as she knelt in front of him.  "I found them in an old trunk in the attic and I want you to explain them to me." she replied as he brushed back her auburn hair.  He took a deep breath as he contemplated the thought of telling his grand daughter the real reason why he hated her husband so.  "Alright...I'll tell you." he said as he took her hand in his.  "Many years ago, when I was courting your grandmother, her family didn't like me much to say the least.  I was not the typical young man they wanted for their daughter." he said as she sat there listening intently to his words.  "Her parents did everything to keep us apart.  And I mean everything.  The family had much more money than mine did, and so they sent her away from home to school so she wouldn't be tempted by me." he said as she thought of the similarities of she and Zander were scary.  "Go on.." she replied.  "Well, we had made plans to run away one summer and get married despite her family's objections.  Lila got caught leaving the house and she snuk out and left me a note to tell me what had kept her away that night.  Her family's objections went on for years.  I had enlisted in the service before the war and had gotten my orders to ship out a week later.  Her family was overjoyed with the fact that I would not be able to take her away from them.  During the time I was away, I wrote to her every chance I got.  Unbeknownst to us, her parents had intercepted a few weeks worth of letters." he said with a look of sadness.  "Aw...grandfather that is so sad..how did the two of you get together than?" Emily asked as she noticed her grandfathers well up with tears.  "After the war was over, I returned home to find Lila engaged to another man, at the request of her family.  Lila was not in love with this man, she was in love with me.  So, we planned for us to elope one night.  We met at our spot and just ran.  Ran as fast as we could.  It was all we could do to be together.  The family left us no choice." he replied as tears fell from his eyes.  "Can you tell me why you signed the letters as you did?" she asked as he opened one of the letters she was holding.  "Lila and I both signed our letters the same way..it was like code or something so we knew they were from each other."..he replied as he read the letter and noticed down at the bottom of the letter he signed it "Love, me."

Emily knew it took alot of her grandfather to tell her the story, and she appreciated his honesty with her.  "So you don't like Zander because?"  she inquired.  Edward looked up at her and replied..."I don't like Zander..because..well, I guess he reminds me so much of myself." Emily shocked to hear that from her grandfather and stunned at the emotional state he was brought to by telling the story that obviously was painful for him back then.  She had lived in the mansion for 8 years and all of those 8 years, she had never once seen her grandfather shed a tear.  Yet today, she saw for the first time the man who she knew he was.  A good man who loved his family and love his wife.  A man who had to defend himself to everyone because they didn't like what he did or who he was.

Alan and Monica sat shocked at the story they just heard.  Alan never knew the story about his parents until now.  He was surprised to know how much they went through to be together.  It brought the situation with Emily in a whole new light for him.  The story just told had certainly changed his mind about his daughter's relationship with this man who loved her so deeply.

Emily and her grandfather embraced as she tried to comfort him as he would do for her.  She spent a few more moments with the family before heading home.

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"Alexis..what am I going to do about this?" Zander asked as he paced her floor.  "Zander...first thing you have to do is tell Emily....tell her everything." she replied as a look of concern came over him.  "Alexis this is gonna hurt her deeply..." he replied.  "Probably will, but you have no choice but to face it now...Emily is a good person, she is an understanding person...she loves you Zander.." she said as she embraced him trying to comfort and soothe his aching heart.  Alexis gathered the photographs and placed them back into the folder they came from.  "Here, take these along and talk to her.  Tell her." Alexis said as she handed Zander the folder and brushed his jawline with her hand.  Zander knew she was right.  There was no running from this anymore.  He had to tell his wife about his child he had with another woman.  There was no turning back the clock and no more running from responsibilities.  Zander left Alexis's penthouse and wondered how he was going to tell his wife about the past that came back to haunt him.
 

Chapter 13 
 

Zander walked out of Alexis's apartment with his daughter's photos in hand, and not knowing how he was going to tell his new wife about his old life.  He had always held his daughter in his heart and he had the memories of her tucked safely away in the back of his mind.  He would think about her often and wonder the what ifs.  He had tried for so long to forget his past in Florida and those he left there three years ago.  He had finally convinced himself that he did it to protect them, but deep down he knew he ran cause he was scared.  Scared to face his problems with his bookies and afraid to face his fears of being a father.  Because of Emily he learned he didn't have to run away, what he had to do was to face those fears and hit them head on...no matter what.  The only way to overcome the fear is to face it and to deal with it...don't bury it cause it only comes back twice fold.  And Steph knew just how to do that...she always did.

As he made his way back to the apartment he was hoping to arrive before Emily.  The news about Steph and Alexandra were going to blow her right out of the water.  This was a complete surprise to him so he knew that she had no inclination of what was in store for her when she came home.  Heck, he wasn't even sure how to tell her...and he had to tell her.  Steph was so unpredictable..for all he knew she was already on a plane headed for Port Charles.  If she found Alexis, she wouldn't have a problem finding him.  He was racking his brain trying to think of a way to tell Emily with out hurting her...but he came to realize there was no way around it.  The straight forward truth was what he needed to tell her and nothing more or less.  Emily deserved that much.  He was praying to God that she would understand, and that she would forgive him.

Zander noticed when he stepped off the elevator Antonio wasn't standing guard, which means Emily wasn't back yet from visiting her family.  He had a little time yet to prepare for what was about to happen when he told his wife about the child he left in his past.  As he unlocked the door he thought to himself.."God...what have I done?! How is Emily ever going to forgive me for this?"  He opened the door and walked into the apartment throwing his keys on the table that stood next to the door.  He closed the door behind him and wandered to the kitchen for a glass of water.  He was gonna need it when he told her.  His throat and mouth were dry now from nerves, it is gonna get a lot worse shortly.  He poured himself a glass of water and took a seat on the sofa with his back facing the door.  He leaned back into the cushion and laid his head back as he held the glass in his hand.  He closed his eyes for a brief moment and all he saw was this adorable face staring at him.  "She followed him everywhere.  He opened up the folder that contained the photographs of his daughter and his first love.  And Steph was...his first love.  He was a senior in high school...there was no way he was ready to be a parent at eighteen.  And where does she get off keeping his child from him.  She had no right!  No right what so ever.  He could feel his blood pressure rising just at the thought of Steph telling his daughter all sorts of lies about him, lies and half truths.  He was sure her parents had a field day filling Alexandra's head with trash talk about him.  They never liked me..never."  He thought as he took a sip of water.  There was no way to turn the clock back now...what was done was done, there is no changing the past.  He just wished Steph would of left his memories of his daughter pleasant ones and not turn this into a battle of wits over her.  He had enough problems already.  He didn't need Steph creating new ones. "God..why does she have to do this to me now?!  Why?" he thought as he felt the anger and guilt come over him.

"Do what to you now?" a voice replied from behind him. Zander didn't even hear the door open and Emily walk in.  "How much did you hear? " he asked hoping she didn't hear any of it.  "Zander...what's going on?" she questioned as she laid her bag on the table.  He noticed the photos sprawled over the coffee table and scurried to put them back into the folder from which they came.  She walked into the living room area and took a seat on the sofa...she propped her legs up on the ottoman that sat before her.  He was hoping she didn't see the photos that were in that folder...it was time to tell her the truth and he had no idea where to start.  She was about to get hurt in the worst way and he was the only one to blame for this time.

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Alexis didn't know how to help Zander in this situation, other than tell him to tell Emily the truth.  There was no way out this time.  The past he thought was buried just resurfaced with a vengeance.

As she walked towards the kitchen for a glass of water, the phone rang.  "Now what?!..." she thought as she quickly ran to grab it.  "Hello, Alexis Davis." she stated as she picked it up.  "Ms. Alexis Davis?..." the voice asked.  "Yes, how can I help you..." Alexis replied bewildered at who in the world would be asking such a question.  "Good, I got the right Davis...Oh, uh..you don't know me but my name is Stephanie Lords..." the voice replied...as Alexis stood there in shock to hear that name.  A brief pause while Alexis collected her thoughts.  "Ms. Davis..." Steph asked cause she heard complete silence on the other end of the line.  "Oh, yes..what can I do for you Ms. Lords?..." Alexis replied knowing full well this was the Steph Zander had been talking about earlier and who sent the photos.  "I am hoping that you can help me track down someone..." she replied as Alexis now was nervous to hear her next thought.  "I'm not sure I can...by the way how did you know..." Alexis began.. " Oh..I just took a lucky guess, and I saw the write ups in the newspaper about the trial of...uh,...Joseph..Sorel." Steph stated as Alexis adjusted her glasses.  "Oh, I see...so who do you need tracked down..." she asked as she already knew the answer.  "A guy named Alexander Smith...know him?" Steph implied with her inquire.  "Uh, yeah...he's my client..and anything more than that I can't tell you.  I'm sorry." Alexis replied hoping the attorney jargon might discourage her.  "Ms. Davis..I have no inclination of starting problems with Alex...I just need to know if he is living there.." she began as Alexis pondered a few ideas why she would be asking about Zander this way.  "Like I said...Zander's affairs are confidential and I would have to get permission to divulge any information to you..." Alexis replied as she replaced her friendship cap with her attorney cap.  "Ms. Davis...I just need to know if he is living in...P-Port Charles...that's it." she stated as Alexis heard in her voice she was getting frustrated with the run around she was giving her.  "Okay...let me ask you a question...may I?  First I would like to know what business you have with my client?  What exactly do you want from him?" Alexis questioned to this person on the other end of the line.  "That was two Ms. Davis...But I am Alex's girlfriend and mother of his child who he had left in Florida when he took off to places unknown.  I am the woman who wants him to take responsibility of his child and the woman who still wants to be a part of his life.  Does that answer your questions....Ms. Davis?" she replied a little snippy.  "Ms. Lords the best I can do for you is to give Zander the message and let him know that you called.  But like I said before I can't divulge any information about my client...and he is my client." Alexis replied getting a little snippy herself.  "Fine..give him my number and have him call me..please."  she replied.  "Where can he reach you ... " Alexis replied as she reached for a pen to write down the phone number.  "Alex can reach me at the following number day or night...703 - 555 - 3550...we moved since he left, and now me and Alexandra live in Virginia." she replied as Alexis heard the child yelling in the background.  "Okay, I'll give him the message." she replied.  "Thank you Ms. Davis...." Steph replied as Alexis heard her end of the line go dead.  "Your welcome..." Alexis said sarcastically to the dead line.

"Well, at least she called me and not Zander...he would have some more explaining to do..." she thought as she started once again to go into the kitchen for a glass of water.  "I wonder how he is doing explaining this to Emily...maybe I should be there for support..." she thought as she reached for the phone to call him.  "No..he needs to this on his own...what am I...his mother.  He needs to tell Emily the truth and it will be better for her to hear from him than from me."

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Zander sat across from Emily with a concerned look on his face as he thought of the best way to tell her about Alexandra and Steph.  There was no easy way out...he just had to flat out tell her.  He scooted closer to her and took her hand in his as his eyes met hers.  "God this is hard..." he said as he looked down for a brief moment.  "Zander what is it...what's wrong?" she asked as she took her hand and raised his head.  Their eyes met and he took a deep cleansing breath.  "Okay...here it goes..There is something I need to tell you.  And I need you to just listen to what I have to say..." he said as he caressed her hand.  Zander's voice and mannerisms were now scaring her..she didn't know where this was coming from..but she didn't like it already.

"A few years before I came to Port Charles...I was living in Florida with my parents.  My sister had died and things were falling apart.  My life was falling apart.  I had lost my best friend when I lost my sister and my family was taking the death hard.  I was 16, a sophomore in high school...playing football and just trying to be 16.  I started dating the most popular girl who was also a cheerleader for the JV squad." he said as he noticed Emily listening intently to every word.  "We dated through till graduation and things got very serious...with the two of us.  By this time I was dabbling in alot of things...most of them illegal.  She stood by me and wanted so badly for us to be together.  As I said it was a serious relationship....serious enough that graduation night we slept together..." he said as he saw her eye well with tears.  Not knowing what the tears meant...just that her eyes told the pain she was feeling at the moment he said that.  With that said...Emily rose from her seat and walked to the other side of the room as if to distance herself from him.  This is not what he wanted...with that one statement...he hurt her so much...this is not what he intended.  He knew she was upset, disappointed, confused and angry with him..he knew it..her tears spoke her true feelings as they streamed down her soft skin.

He followed her and tried to comfort her by reaching for her, and she shrugged him off.  "Emily, please..let me finish..."  he said as she turned and looked him in the eyes.  He knew that she was upset but he needed to tell her the whole story.  "Go..on.." she replied as she wiped her tears from her face.  "At that moment, I knew that I was in love with Steph...I just knew it.  There was no turning back...and she loved me.  A few short months later, Steph told me she was pregnant."  He was trying so hard not to bring more pain, but the more the story revealed the more upset Emily got.  Telling her that Steph had become pregnant, Emily tried even harder to distance herself from him....he was losing her right before his eyes...he continued with the tale.  "Emily, we were eighteen...we didn't plan for this child...I was in deep with a dangerous crowd...I had no choice.." he said as she turned and glared at him full of hurt and sadness.  "No choice...what no choice?" she questioned.  "After the baby was born, the people who I was in deep to, threatened their lives...Emily, I left Florida to protect them.  If I didn't, they would of been in more danger and they could of lost their lives." he said in desperation.  "So, let me get this straight...You being 18 got a girl pregnant and after the baby was born, you left them and ran because you had no choice..?" she inquired as the sadness became anger.

"I ran as far as I could, hell I ran as far as Canada to get away from my life in Florida.  I called Steph and asked for her and Alexandra to join me...but she was not the same person that I left there.  She had moved back with her multi-millionaire family and they now had the say in her life.  She didn't want to leave her lifestyle to be with the man she supposedly loved.  I asked her point blank if she would give me a chance to see Alex..and she blatantly said no.  Emily, she kept me from my child.  She had no inclination of letting me see my child....my child!" he replied as he felt the anger return.  The anger he felt when he heard Steph speak those words to him over the telephone the day he called to ask her to see Alex.  "I had so desperately wanted to have her and my child with me...I wanted to be a family.  But she turned her back on me when I made every effort to face the responsibilities of raising a child.  I certainly couldn't blame her...but for a long time I did.  I had done the same thing to her, when I ran away from the situation.  My life was catching up with me, Emily....it was either leave or allow them to be hurt..I had no way of protecting them against the people I was involved with.  I had no choice but to leave them.  Emily, I swear...God, I had no choice but to do what I did." he said as he collapsed on the sofa hoping that she would understand.

There was a few moments of silence as Emily wiped her tears from her face and gathered her thoughts.  She was certainly upset with what she had just heard from her husband.  How could she forgive him for this...he lied to her...and how does she know that he had no choice.  She wasn't there...she don't know.  Maybe he didn't have a choice...he didn't have a choice with Sorel..it was either play the game or die.  Zander sat across from her as he notice her look down at the folder on the coffee table.  He closed his eyes for a brief moment and sighed.  He leaned over and held his head in his hands as he heard her open the folder and flip through the photographs.  "Is this her...is this your baby?" she asked as she held up a photo of Alexandra who was now three years old.  Zander looked up and saw his child staring him in the face.  "Yes, that's my child.." he replied as he was overcome with the guilt of leaving behind his beautiful baby.  "She looks just like you..ya know.." Emily said with a grin.  With that said, he knew the worst was over.

He rose from his seat and walked over and sat next to his wife as they looked through the photographs together.  "Emily...I am sorry." he said as he took her hand.  "I know...but this is not over...is it?" she replied as she looked at him.  "No..it's not.  Steph sent these photos to Alexis...she sent a letter along with them...and..uh, well.." he hesitated in telling her what the letter entailed.  "What does she want from you, Zander..?" she asked as he felt her grip tighten.  "She wants me...she wants us to be a family...me, her and Alex..." he said reluctantly.  "Well, she can't have you...and your right it's not over...not over by a long shot.." Emily replied as she got up and started to pace...she got angry with the statement he just made.  Zander was taken back with what she said...he had never seen this side of her before.  She was angry at the thought of another women coming between them.  She was angry at the thought of Steph thinking that she could walk back into his life and take him away from her.  He knew she was determined..but this was beyond determined. "Emily, would you calm down....the baby...no stress remember." he said concerned for her.  "Yeah, yeah..." she replied as she was biting her lower lip in frustration.

This conversation had gone from disappointment to sadness, to hurt and now to anger.  He knew Emily had it in her to protect what was hers...he just never saw it before.  Emily paced back and forth as the phone rang.  Zander reached for the phone to answer it...."Hello.." he said as he picked up the receiver.  "Alex...?" the voice said on the other end.  He hadn't heard that name in three years...he was taken back when he recognized the voice.  He took a deep breath as he noticed Emily staring him down cause she knew who was on the other end of the line.  "Is that her..?!" Emily inquired forcefully as she approached him.  He hesitated a moment..."Is that her?!" she asked again as she raised voice another octave.  Okay..now he had a problem...his ticked off wife on one end and his ex on the other..now what?..."Emily, please calm down...and yes it's her.." he replied as he tried to comfort her as she sat down next to him.  "Okay..I'm calm..see...calm..." Emily replied with a smirk.  "Alex..you there.." Steph asked as she heard the commotion on his end.  "Uh, yeah..I'm here." he replied as he kept his eye on Emily's emotional state.  "Did you get the package..?" she asked.  "Yeah I got the package.." he replied as he noticed Emily's blood pressure was rising with every word that was said.  "She looks just like you, ya know.." Steph replied as she hinted to their daughter.  "So, I've been told.." he said with a smirk.  "Alex..." she began.  "Steph, please don't call me that..I haven't been called Alex in three years..." he replied beginning to get p-turbed at the thought of being called his rightful name.  "Okay...what than.." she questioned.  "Zander..it's Zander now.." he said as he saw Emily mocking the ex under her breath.  Emily sat next to her husband with an attitude and was trying really hard not to grab the receiver and tell the ex where to go..cause she really wanted too.  It took everything she had not to interfere with this..but she wanted to so badly...just once..that was all she asked for.

"So, how are you..?" Steph inquired.  "I'm fine...and how's Alex?" he asked as he picked up a photo of her from the table. "She misses her daddy...she would love to see you.." Steph said as Zander heard his little girl in the background.  It was the first time in a long time he had heard Alex...and the first time he heard Alex ask for her daddy.  Him..he was her daddy.  Zander was over come with emotion as he listened to his child call him daddy.  Even though he had not seen her in a long time, he loved her with all his heart.  He missed her terribly and wanted so badly to see her.  Emily noticed a stray tear trickle down from the corner of his eye as she felt his pain of being away from his child.  She couldn't have him separated from her any longer.  It had been long enough.  "I miss her too.." he whispered as his eyes filled with tears.  "You have no idea how much I wanted to hear her say those words.." he added as he ran his hand through his hair.  "Ya know, I can be in Port Charles by morning...if you want to see her..." Steph said as Zander wanted so badly to jump at the chance to see his child.  "Hold that thought.." he replied to her inquiry.  He knew before he said yes, he had to ask if Emily could handle seeing his daughter and Steph.  "Em..are you okay with this...I mean if Steph bring Alex to see me...will it be okay with you." he asked as he turned to his wife.  "Zander, I am not going to stand in your way to see your daughter...you have the right to see her and I can handle it...we've been through alot together...we can overcome this too." she replied as she swiped a stray tear from his cheek. "You need to see your daughter..." she added as she rose from her seat.

"Steph...I'll make the arrangements for tomorrow morning...I'll have someone waiting for you to bring you back to Port Charles." Zander said as he made a mental note to call Sonny.  "Airport...which airport?" he asked.  "Dulles...Dulles International" she replied puzzled at his intentions.  "Alex..sorry..habit..how are .." she began. "Don't worry about a thing now..I'm telling you let me handle this...just be at the Dulles airport tomorrow morning at 10am sharp.  I'll make sure you are flown here to Port Charles." Zander said as he started to get nervous about seeing them again.  "Alright...I trust you...we'll be there.." she replied as she was getting excited about seeing her first love again after all this time apart.

"Steph, I think I should tell you what has been happening since I left Florida...before you get here tomorrow." Zander said as he looked at his wife who was standing at the window overlooking the bay.  "Ya know what..Alex needs to take her nap now...you can tell me all about it when we get there tomorrow." she quickly replied.  "Okay...tomorrow than.." he replied.  "Bye...daddy.." Alex said as Steph held the phone to her ear.  Trying to hold back his tears...Zander replied.."Bye, sweetheart..daddy loves you..." "Love you too...daddy.."  With those soft spoken words from his daughter he hung up the phone and broke down in tears.
 

Chapter 14 
 

Zander and Emily spent last evening just talking.  Talking about what it will mean to have Alexandra back in his life..and what this means for them as a family with their new baby coming into this world within the next few weeks.  Emily expressed her feelings about him keeping this from her for all this time.  She was rightly upset with him for lying to her but she believed him when he told her that he had no choice.  His whole life was all about his best intentions.  He was scared, he wanted so badly to protect them and the only way he knew how was to leave them behind.  She certainly could understand.  She may not of understood it had it happen to her but knowing Zander the way she did, she could understand why he did what he did.  It was painful to relive it, and it will be painful to overcome it.

The next morning Emily had not been feeling well, so Zander had Antonio go to the hanger to pick up Steph and Alexandra.  He needed to stay with Emily.  He gave Antonio instructions and he was off to pick them up.  Zander knew it would be a shock for Steph to be flown from Dulles Airport to Port Charles in a private jet, and he was sure she would have questions when she would arrive at a private hanger with a private limo waiting for them.  Steph new nothing about him, what he had become or what he had been doing the last three years.  As the time ticked away, he started to become nervous about meeting his past face to face.  Zander left Emily sleep in, she had been up half the night tossing and turning, she needed her rest.  While Emily lay sleeping, Zander decided to make a few phone calls.

He quickly got dressed and dispersed to the living room where he wouldn't disturb Emily.  Zander reached for the phone and in a split second it rang.  He quickly picked it up and answered it.  "Hello..." he said as he held the receiver.  "Zander...it's Alexis." the voice replied.  "Hey, what's up?" Zander replied as he laid back against the cushion of the sofa.  "Steph called me last night...I was going to call you earlier but things got hectic around here and I simply forgot." she replied as she adjusted her glasses.  "She called me too..." he replied.  "How did things go...did you get things worked out.." she inquired.  "Yeah, pretty much I guess....her and Alex should be here in about an hour." he replied as he ran his fingers through his hair.  "They're coming to Port Charles?...may I ask why?..." Alexis asked.  "Well, I guess she has changed her mind about me seeing Alex...and so she is bringing her here to see me." he responded.  "What about Emily?"  "Well, she seems okay with this...we had a long..a very long talk about it last night and she doesn't want to keep me from Alex." he replied as he heard Emily walking around upstairs.  "Alexis....I gotta go..Emily is up and I want to get her some breakfast..she's not feeling well today, so I'm sure she is a little cranky."  "Okay..call me later..." she replied.  "Yes, mom.." he replied with a chuckle.  "Zander...I mean it..if you need me..you call me." she said.  "Okay..I'll call you...I promise...geesh.." he replied to her request.  "Alright..c-ya." she answered.  "Okay..c-ya." he replied as he noticed Emily coming down the short flight of stairs.  Zander hung up the phone and quickly went to assist her down to the sofa.

Zander had a feeling she was not in the greatest mood this morning.  He had left her sleep so she would get her rest...however it looked like that didn't happen.  He added an extra pillow of support to her lower back as she elevated her legs on the ottoman.  "Can I get you some breakfast.." he questioned hesitantly not knowing if she would bite his head off with that kind of question considering she wasn't feeling well.  "Nah, just some toast and juice is fine..thanks." she replied as she rubbed her hands over her face trying to wake herself up.  Zander went into the kitchen and popped two slices of bread into the toaster.  "So..who was that on the phone just now.." she asked with a yawn.  "Alexis...she called to see how we were doing.." he shouted from across the room.  "Oh...don't you have to go pick Alex up at the airport this morning.." she asked as she noticed Zander was pouring her juice in a tall glass that he had taken down from the rack above the center island.  "Nah..I figured I'd spend a little quality time with you..so I sent Antonio to the hanger.  He should be back in about an hour or so." he replied as he carried her so called breakfast to her and placed it on her lap.  "So we have a little time before they get here..." she inquired as she sipped her juice.  "Yup..whatta ya wanna do for an hour..." he asked as she made room for him to sit on the ottoman.  "Nothing...I just want you to sit here with me.." she said as she removed the tray and set it on the coffee table.  "That can be arranged..." replied as he took a seat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder...as she leaned into him.

Zander and Emily just past the time by enjoying each other's company and both becoming nervous and anxious for him to meet his daughter for the first time in three years.  He was just thanking his lucky stars that Emily was being so understanding about this situation.  He thought she would have reservations about being in the same room with his ex.  He had never wanted anything to come between them, they had built a life on honesty and he made one mistake...no...Alex was not a mistake...she may have not been planned but she certainly was no mistake...the honesty policy he and Emily had been broken...he was so hoping it could be mended.

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The Quartermaine mansion was a buzzing about Emily's surprise baby shower.  Everyone wanted to volunteer to help Monica plan the shower.  She certainly appreciated the offers, but her, Chloe and Elizabeth had everything under control.

Monica knew when she came down this morning she needed to be focused....she had a surgery later this morning and a surgery planned for this afternoon.  So her schedule didn't allow for her to think about the shower.  She had made a few phone calls and things had been set into motion for the shower to be held at the PC Grille, the invitations were in the mail and the menu had been planned.  Chloe and Elizabeth were taking care of just about everything else, plans were in the works of how to get Emily to the Grille without her knowing about the surprise that would be waiting for her.

Morning breakfast with the Quartermaine's was never boring, there was always something to quarrel about and this morning was no exception.  Monica made her way into the living room grab a quick breakfast before heading off to the hospital to see her patients.  Edward and Alan were in a heated discussion about ELQ business as Monica walked across the room to the table where the much needed coffee was waiting.  From what she gathered by listening to the argument, Alan had wanted to give AJ another chance to prove himself in the company.  Edward of course disagreed with bringing his drunken grandson back into the fold.  Monica had wanted no part of this conversation, so she sat quietly at the dining room table sipping her coffee and listening intently at was being said between her husband and her father-in-law.  She sat a few moments before Alan even noticed she was in the room.  He acknowledge her with saying "Good morning dear.." and that was the extent of the conversation.  She reciprocated the pleasantries and took the last sip of her coffee as Edward refilled his cup.  The two of them continued with their conversation about AJ and ELQ while she quietly got up and walked out of the room.  She grabbed her coat and bag and headed out the door.

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Zander waiting anxiously for his daughter to arrive, as Emily went up stairs to change out of her pajamas.  He went a few times and opened the door staring down an empty corridor, hoping he would find her standing there waiting for him.  Zander was getting nervous...this would be the first time in three years he had seen his little girl and there were many thoughts that ran through his mind.  He loved his little girl with all his heart and want to so badly to be a good daddy.  He knew he wasn't there for a few years, but he was here now and wanted to make the best of the time he spent with her.

Emily came down the stairs a few moments later with a new outfit on...certainly something he hadn't bought for her and questioned her about where she got the new outfit.  "When did you get that...?" he asked.  "The other day when I went to see Dr. Meadows...I stopped in town and picked up a few things...do you like?" she replied as she modeled it for him.  "It is very nice...." he replied being very careful of what he said.  "You don't think it makes me look to fat do you?" she questioned as he stood in awe of her.  "Hun...your pregnant...your not fat..trust me.." he replied as he heard the door to the apartment open and Antonio stuck his head in.

"We're back..." Antonio said as Zander walked towards the door.  "Thanks...Antonio." he replied as he opened the door to reveal his past staring him in the face.  It was awkward for sure...there she stood...Stephanie Lords.  A tall ashen blonde who stole his heart and gave him a very precious gift...his daughter Alexandra who she stood holding in her arms.  "Alex...?" the young woman asked as he stood in shock to see his past standing before him.  "Zander now...but yeah it's me." he replied as she peered over his shoulder to see more of the inside of the apartment.  "Right...Zander.  Sorry I forgot..." she said apologetic "habit I guess..." she added.  "Uh, Zander aren't you goin' to invite them in..or are they going to stand in the hallway all day..." Emily said from across the room.  "Oh..yeah where are my manners...come on in.." he replied and with that the young woman and child stepped into the apartment just in awe of the spacious home he was living in....with...someone else.  Stephanie's wishes were shattered by hearing another woman's voice...she was so hoping the three of them could become a family once again.

"Alex...this is your daddy.." Steph said as they stood in the foyer of the apartment.  Zander wanted for so long to hear those words again.  Zander took his hand and cupped the back of his child's head and ran his fingers through her soft black hair.  "She looks just like you..." Steph said as she noticed Zander wanted so desparately to hold his child.  Emily watched from afar as her new husband was reuniting with his long lost past and his daughter he missed so much.  "May I...." Zander asked as he reached for Alex who was still being held tightly by her mother.  "Oh..yeah, sure...." Steph replied as she carefully handed over his daughter to him.  Zander took Alex in his arms and held her tight against him as tears of joy welled up in the corner of his eye.  Alex quickly warmed up to him and wrapped her little arms around his neck and whispered in his ear "Hi daddy..." Zander closed his eyes for a brief moment as he enjoyed feeling of holding his child...his child in his arms again.

Emily allowed him a few moments to reacquaint himself with his child before she stepped forward to introduce herself to Zander's past who stood before her.  Zander noticed Emily approaching as he introduced her to his past.  "Stephanie Lords..this is Emily...my wife..." he said as he introduced to the two women to each other.  "Wife?....you didn't tell me you got married..." Steph replied shocked and disappointed at the news her first love had found a new one.  "You didn't give me a chance....and Emily this here is Alex...my daughter." he replied as he held her in his arms.  Emily wanted to be polite and cordial to the guests, even though her stomach was in knots.  "It is so nice to meet you...Alex..I'm Emily" she replied as she shook the little girls hand.  Alex smiled and giggled at her reply.  Emily noticed how much Alex looked like her daddy...and how much they need to spend time together.  "So, how was the flight...?" Zander said as he walked towards the sofa and sat Alex down.  "Fine...I was a little surprised though.." Steph said as she followed him and sat down beside her daughter.  Emily had taken a seat on the love seat and placed her feet up on the ottoman as her eyes never left sight of the beautiful young woman had re-entered her husband's life.  Steph had noticed when she walked in that his new wife looked to be about 8 months along.  She sat and glared towards Emily's pregnant form as Zander noticed her staring.  "Surprised...at what..that a private jet flown you here or that a private limo picked you up from the airport?" he questioned as his eyes never left his daughter.  He just couldn't believe that she was really here, in his living room..he just wanted to hold her forever.  He kept reliving that moment in hospital when she was born over and over again.  Zander explored every feature of his daughters face knowing that she had his eyes and her mother's nose.  She certainly had his dark hair that curled on the ends at the nape of her neck, her hair was thin and soft to the touch.  She had deep brown eyes that were filled with laughter and danced as she stared back at him.  A smile came over her face as she noticed her daddy was watching her every move.  Alex drifted across the cushion towards him as she held out her arms as if for him to pick her up.  He did so and held her on his lap as he heard Steph reply..."Well, yeah I mean...come on Alex..I mean a private jet, limo..your own body guard...I was just shocked..."   Emily sat quietly as she wondered how he was going to explain this one to his ex...Zander left Florida with not much of anything in his back pocket and now three years later, has a posh apartment, limo and many other expensive things that the ex obviously knew he couldn't of afforded when he left.

Zander had pondered thoughts of how he was going to begin explaining while he caressed Alex's head who was sitting quietly on his lap.  He noticed she was very well behaved for a three year old and how she smiled across at Emily.  Kids loved Emily...she just had this way with children.

  "I would love to hear the story behind the all of this..." She replied looking at him with her deep green eyes.  Zander use to love when he could sit and look into her green eyes.  But that was then...this now.  He had a new life here in Port Charles with Emily and their baby.  His feelings for Steph had dissipated a long time ago..when he met Emily and fell in love with her.  He would always be grateful to Steph for giving him his daughter but the love was no longer apparent....at least for him.  "Okay...well..then would you like some coffee.." Emily said as she started to get up from her seat trying so hard to be polite to a women she was beginning to dislike very much.  Hate was a strong word for Emily and being she was the mother of Zander's daughter, she thought twice about saying what she thought out loud.  "Sure thanks..." Steph replied as she observed Emily walk across in front of her and kiss Zander softly as she passed by him.  Steph thought to herself ..."Emily seemed to come from a well-to-do family, her clothes, her perfume she wore were all fairly expensive items." With peaked interest in where Alex found his new love, Steph was dying to hear the story of how they met.

"So...are you going to tell me this story of yours or am I going to have to guess.." she asked as she turned towards Zander   "Okay...where shall I begin..." he began as he glanced towards the kitchen to see if Emily was doing okay with making the coffee.  "Em...are you doing okay in there..." he asked as he stood waiting for the reply.  "Yeah..I'm fine..I'll be out in a few.." she responded as she peeked around the corner.  With that...he sat down once again on the sofa and leaned back into the cushions.   "You were saying..." Steph began anxious to hear his story of the last few years.  "Well, there's not much to tell.  Emily and I met under circumstances that were not the best and but we knew after spending a few weeks together that we discovered we had feelings for each other.  Her family has tried their damndest to keep us apart but our love prevailed and we eloped.  It has taken some time for her family to except the marriage, the baby..and our love for each other.  Once we saw that our problems were coming to an end, Emily's brother got me a job at a coffee warehouse that he partly owned." Zander tried so hard not to bring up the kidnapping, drug dealing and Sorel...he figured the less she knew the better.  He seemed to be in the habit of hidding things, he hid his feelings from Emily for a long time, he hid his daughter from her for the same amount of time and now he was hiding the truth from the mother of his child.  He didn't want them to be afraid.  Steph sensed there was more to this story of young love, but figured if he wanted to tell her he would so she didn't push the subject.

Zander still hadn't learned much about her life since he left Florida...other than he knew she and Alex were living in Virginia now.  He was curious as to what she was up to these days and of course the curiosity got the best of him.  "So, what have you been up to lately?.." he asked as he looked at Steph who sat close to him sipping her coffee.  "Other than trying to keep up with a three year old.." she replied with a chuckle.  "I guess she does keep you pretty busy..huh?" he replied with a smile.  "Yes she does...and she has that wild streak of yours..." she hinted hoping he would remember how it used to be.  Emily sat next to him and wondered what Steph had up her sleeve..what were her intentions with her husband.  "What have I been up to lately...hmmm...well I went on to college and got my degree in teaching...and now I am a student teacher.  I have a little while to go before I can get my license...and while I'm doing that...my mom watches Alex..  About a year after you left and I figured you had no intentions of coming back...my parents and I packed up and moved to Virginia.  After quite a few months in conflict about why you left and needing so much to move on with my life, I just decided one day to do it." she said as she noticed the love that he and Emily shared.  There wasn't a moment that he was not touching her in some way...caressing her hands, or her knee...wrapping his arm around her, or brushing her auburn hair away from her face.  It was obvious that the child she was carrying was conceived out of love as was Alex.

"You know, now that Alex is back in my life, I have no problem taking responsibility."  he said as Emily caressed his back soothingly.  "I know..and that is nice of you to offer...and I'm sure we can arrange something without hassle." Steph replied as she looked down at her watch noticing it was getting later by the minute.  Zander wanted so badly to spend as much time with his daughter as possible before they headed back home to Virginia.  "Would it be possible if I could spend some time with Alex tomorrow..say taking her to the park?" he asked as he leaned forward and rested his elbows on his knees.  "Sure I guess so...can we make it more of family outing or would be to uncomfortable for you to have me tag along..?" she asked.  "Em...do mind if we head to the park tomorrow?" he asked as he looked at his wife.  Steph noticed that he had the utmost respect for his new wife..it was nice to see how Alex really had grown into a fine man that she wish she would have a chance with...again.  "Sure..not a problem maybe Elizabeth and I can go shopping or something tomorrow..." Emily replied thinking in the back of her mind what in the world was she doing...giving her husband permission to take the day and go spend time with his ex and his daughter she never knew about...God she hated feeling like this...she wanted him to spend time with his daughter, but did he have to do it with Steph...Man she was really not liking her.  Emily trusted Zander completely when it came down to it...it was the ex Emily didn't trust.  She didn't know anything about her, who she was and how much she wanted Zander in her life...was it only for the child or did she have a hidden agenda. Zander knew it took alot of guts to give him the okay for him to go tomorrow...beings he would be spending time not only with his daughter but with his first love...would be hard on any new wife...but Emily tried to hide it...but he could read her like a book..he knew what she was thinking even before she said it.

"Well, why don't we see if we can get you a room for tonight at the PC Hotel...which is around the corner..." he suggested as he reached for the phone that sat behind him on a tall table.  After a few moments on the phone with the hotel...Zander added "Well, it looks like you have a room for the night.  I"ll have Antonio drive you to the hotel so the two of you can unpack and get settled."   "Sounds good..." Steph replied as she picked up Alex who had been napping most of the time they had been visiting.  Zander rose from his seat and headed towards the door.  As he opened the door Antonio turned around to meet him face to face.  "Would you come in here for a moment..." he asked of his body guard. Antonio stepped inside the apartment as Zander asked him to take Steph and Alex to the PC Hotel to check in.  "Take the side entrance Antonio.....make sure she gets to her room okay."  Zander said as Steph came up from behind. "I guess till tomorrow than...." she said as he looked adoringly at Alex who seemed to have missed her afternoon nap.  "Till tomorrow...I'll pick you up around noon.."  he said as he kissed his daughter as he ran his hand over her head.  With that, Steph and Alex walked down the corridor to the elevator as Antonio followed in toe.  Zander watched them get on the elevator and than closed the door.

"Are you alright...?" Emily asked as he came over and sat next to her on the sofa.  "I should be asking you that question...Em. " he replied as he wrapped his arm around her and she leaned into him finding comfort and solace.  "I'm fine...really.." she replied as she looked up at him.  "Okay...cause I want you to tell me if you're not...and if you're not it's open for discussion." he replied as he caressed her arm and shoulder. "Zander..I'm fine."  With that said the two of them sat a few more minutes gathering their thoughts about what happened there that afternoon.

"So...if you're fine and I'm fine....what do you say to a candle light dinner at the PC Grille?" Zander asked as their eyes met once again.  "How bout a candle light dinner from the PC Grille at home?" she inquired as she brushed her lips with his.  He released his kiss and replied "Hmmm....you call the order in and I'll get the candles."

Chapter 15
 

As the morning sun rose above the Port Charles bay, Zander had pulled on his black jeans that lay at the foot of the bed.  Emily had finally slept through the night without interruption.  She had been really having a restless few nights before, but they seemed to have subsided.  He tried his hardest not to wake her as he turned on the bathroom light, but to no avail.  "Zander..." she said quietly..."What time is it?"  "It's a little after 6 o'clock..go back to sleep." he replied noticing she was barely awake.  "Okay..." she replied with a yawn and closed her eyes once again.  He noticed she grabbed the empty pillow and pulled it close to her as she held it tight.  He stood for a brief moment and than closed the bathroom door.

He quietly opened the bathroom door and peered through the opening as he turned off the light.  Emily was sound asleep in the same position as when he went in.  He walked lightly across the bedroom floor and made his way down the short flight of stairs.  He needed coffee...plenty of strong coffee.  Emily may have had a peaceful night sleep, but he sure didn't.  He knew his dreams had returned but for the life of him he could never remember them...it was the same when he was a kid, he could never remember them but knew he had them.  Zander had been having the dreams since the shooting outside of PCPD that Christmas night, but they seemed to have subsided for a while, and now have returned.  He just didn't understand why.

An hour or so had passed as he held his coffee cup and watched the sunrise over the bay.  It was so beautiful this time of day, but it was always more beautiful if Emily shared it with him.  While deep in thought about what the day might bring, Emily made her way down the stairs.  She noticed he was in another world some where as she came up behind him and wrapped her arms around his waist.  She still in her silk pajamas and he in only his blackest jeans stood and watched the sunrise together...as usual.

"So what time do you have to pick up Alex?" she asked as he turned to face her.  "Eleven...why?" he asked as he held her in his arms.  "I just thought we could discuss some things that I discovered yesterday.." she replied as she leaned in and held him closer.  "That's right...you went to see Lila yesterday....did you have a nice visit?" he asked as she looked up at him.  "Yes I did and I found something interesting out about why Grandfather hates you so much..." she replied as he rolled his eyes at the sound of his name.  "Why because I'm a deviant or did he come up with something else to call me.." he questioned with a smirk.  "Come...sit down and I will tell you all about it.." she said as she led him to the sofa.

Zander sat and listened intently as Emily described her visit with her Grandmother and that she was giving her the christening gown as a keepsake.  She explained the gown had been in the attic and in one of the old trunks that Lila had stored there.  As she and Monica were searching the trunks for the gown, she came upon this collection of letters wrapped in a red ribbon that had faded with age.  Her and her mother had concluded that the letters were at least fifty years old and were love letters from her Grandfather to her Grandmother way back when.  She confronted Edward about the letters and what they contained.  Zander was wondering where this was going and how it tied into her Grandfather hating him so much.  Emily continued with the Edward's explanation as she sat across from Zander on the ottoman.  "Apparently..Grandfather was seeing Grandmother, and her family hated him so...they forbid Grandmother to see him.  They had made plans to runaway together but Grandmother got caught leaving the house and was punished for trying to do so.  She snuck out and ran to where they were supposed to meet, but Grandfather was not there...only a note."  she said as the two of them held hands.  "And..what happened?" he replied anxious to hear the rest of the story.  "Eventually they ran off together and got married, against her parents wishes."  "Why did her parents dislike him so?" Zander asked as he leaned forward in his seat.  "I guess because he was a player of sorts and wasn't their class of people...sound familiar?" she responded.  "Yeah, but Em...I kidnapped you...he has every right to hate me..."   "I know..but listen..Grandfather was in tears and literally broke down by the end of the story...." she said as rose from the ottoman and sat next to him.  "Edward, crying...now that I don't believe.." he replied shocked that Edward would be the type to break down and cry.  "Zander...I'm serious...Grandfather was in tears when I left...and I really think it made the rest of the family realize how they are acting when it comes to our relationship." she replied as there was a  knock on the apartment door.

"Never fails...Yes!.." Zander said as the door opened and Antonio made himself visible in the doorway.  "Sorry sir, but Alexis is here to see you.  Zander hesitated for a brief moment and wondered what Alexis was doing at his door at 7:30 in the morning...she was not an early bird unless it was important.  "Thank you, Antonio.  Show her in." he replied as Antonio allowed Alexis to pass.  Zander had made his way across the hardwood floor to greet her as she entered the apartment.  "Good morning...you two..I picked up breakfast at Kelly's for you.." she said as she handed him a large paper bag. "Thanks..but to what do we owe this pleasure..." Emily asked as she rose from where she had been sitting.  "Well...I thought you should know that the PCPD has arrested two suspects in the explosion incident at your apartment." she replied as she removed her attaché case from her shoulder and set it on the table behind her.  "Well..that's good news right?" Zander said as Emily removed the breakfast Alexis brought.  "We're hoping they will provide us with more pertinent information to arrest more of Sorel's organization."  she responded as Emily handed Zander a styrofoam cup of coffee.  They wandered over and took seats in the living room as Emily opened the bottle of OJ she found in the paper bag.

Zander knew that Sorel was no longer a problem thanks to Sonny and Jason and was really intrigued as to who else would be connected with such a criminal organization.  "Who do they think is involved?" he asked as he sipped his coffee.  "Hold on to your hats boys and girls cause this is a doozie.." Alexis replied as a puzzled look came over their faces..."Okay...spill it...who?" Emily replied as she took her seat again on the ottoman next to Zander.  "Commissioner Scorpio seems to think and have circumstantial evidence that points to...." Alexis hesitated as she noticed their anticipation to hear the name of the person involved with the explosion.  "Juan Santiago..." she replied as she adjusted her glasses that had slid down to the end of her nose.  "Get out!...Are you serious?!" Emily replied surprised as she rose from her seat.  "But why would he do that?!  What would he have to gain by doing that? And why would he do that for Sorel..." Zander asked as he tensed up at the thought of Juan being back in town.  Alexis noticed that by the mere mention of his name the air in the apartment became tense.

"According to Mac...Juan was not on tour for the last year and a half...but running Sorel's organization in Puerto Rico with Carlos.  Juan wanted revenge against you, Zander for taking Emily away from him and he knew that Sorel would be his ticket to get the job done.  He had no idea that Sorel would disappear from the picture before the job was done..so he took matters into his own hands and did the job himself." she replied as concern now was evident in Zander and Emily.  "I just don't get it...Juan was not that type of person..." Emily replied as she paced the floor.  "Are they sure, Alexis?  I mean we were told that he was on tour for how long and Ned was keeping in contact with him...how could he have pulled this off?" Zander questioned as he too rose from his seat and walked over to be with his wife.  "Guys...I don't know. But I thought you should know what was happening with the case." she replied as she turned to face them.  "Well.. is he still in town...do we have to worry about him coming after us again?" Zander asked as he held Emily in his arms.  "Actually, I think he is staying low for now..if the word is on the street that two suspects were arrested for the explosion, I'm sure he is keeping a low profile and not bringing attention to himself."  she replied as Zander stood in thought of how he was going to proceed.

"Zander...what about Alex?" Emily asked as she stood trying to soothe the tension.  "Man!...I was supposed to spend some quality time with my daughter and now that psycho is back in Port Charles...there is no way I'm putting my child in danger...no way!"  he replied forcefully.  "Zander...I'm not even sure Juan is in town...but the PCPD seems to think so...he could be long gone by now." Alexis replied as she rose from her seat.  "He may not be here but he may have Sorel's people out there gunning for me again...or Emily." Zander replied in a panic.  "Zander..calm down...I know your concerned for everyone's safety and the most you can do is stiffen up the guards and stay alert.  I know it's a difficult situation again but...." Alexis replied as Zander cut her off.  "God..why is this happening to us again?!..he replied as he ran his hands through his hair as the tension  and stress has now brought on a major headache.  He felt his blood pressure rising as he thought about the situation and what he was going to have to do.  Zander had created his own group of guards to protect he and Emily as they were out and about Port Charles, from drivers to body guards...Zander was now the boss of his own group of men.  He no longer had to report to Sonny for everything he needed...he used his own judgment and did what he thought was best.  He thought long and hard what to do next and he need to calm down to make a rational decision about his next move.

Alexis wandered towards them as she stood closer to Emily and tried to comfort her as Zander paced the floor thinking.  "Emily...are you okay?" Alexis asked as she turned toward her.  "Yeah...I'm fine...I'm worried about Zander...he has so much on his mind..with Alex and Steph back in his life now and trying to operate things on his own now without Sonny and I'm due any day now..." Emily replied with concern.  "I know...dear..I know.." Alexis replied as she embraced Emily to comfort her as Alexis noticed her eyes welled with tears.

As Zander looked at his watch he noticed it was getting close to time to pick up Alex.  He made a few phone calls to add more guards to Emily and to himself as Alexis grabbed her attaché case and said her good byes.   Tension and concern still filled the air as Emily drank the rest of her OJ and sat thinking about what all this meant.  This being the newest situation with Juan.  She didn't understand why he would do such a thing.  He never let her see any other side to him, she really didn't think he had it in him.  There were no signs of jealousy, resentment or hatred toward Zander or herself.  She hadn't noticed anything about Juan that would make her think any different of him.  Actually she didn't think he was that smart to pull something like this off...music was his life, why would he go back to working for Sorel if he didn't have any intentions other than going after Zander.  She didn't think he would hurt her in any way, but she knew he had his opinions about the relationship between her and Zander and pretty much spoke it freely to her or anyone that would listen to it.  It was just way out there to believe.

"Okay...I stepped up the guards on you..so if you go anywhere...I mean anywhere you take two guards with you at all times.  I can't leave anything to chance here..." Zander said as he moved slowly towards her.  "Okay...I hope they like shopping, cause Elizabeth and I have plans to go shopping this afternoon..." she said with a grin.  "Em..I'm serious.  I need you to listen to me...please.  You are my wife and you are carrying something very special to me..and I love you so much..I wouldn't know what I'd do if something happened to you or the baby." he replied as he placed his hand on her belly.  "I know...and I love you too.  I promise I will be careful and I will not give the boys the slip this time...I swear." she replied as she looked up at him and grinned.  "You better not, or I'll put you under house arrest...." he replied jokingly.  "Handcuffs..." she said teasingly.  "You are so bad..I swear." he replied as he held her close and leaned down to kiss her sweet lips.  As their mouths met in a tender morning kiss, the apartment door opened and Antonio became visible in the doorway.

"Sir..." Antonio said as they stood in the foyer embracing. "Now..what?" Zander replied a little agitated.  "Sir..it's time to go pick up Alex..." Antonio replied.  "Okay...give me minute to change..." Zander said as he noticed he wasn't ready to go out in public.  "Sure...hollar when you're ready.." Antonio replied as he shut the door.  Zander kissed Emily lightly again before they ascended up the stairs to the bedroom to get dressed.  "I do hope you enjoy your visit today with Alex....you need to know your daughter and I hope you get the chance to be a daddy to her..." Emily replied as she began unbuttoning the silk pajama top.  "Thanks....I hope I can too..." he added as he slipped on one of his new silk shirts that he had hanging in the closet.  Emily stood in front of the full length mirror and glared at her reflection as Zander buttoned up his shirt.  She never thought when she was working at Kelly's that someday her and Zander would be married, living in a penthouse, and standing in front of a mirror with Zander's baby due any day now.  It felt like she was dreaming and she could wake up anytime now.  They had been so happy together for so long and she just wanted to keep it that way.  She didn't need Steph to cause trouble between them and she didn't need Juan trying to kill them either.  "Emily...are you alright.." Zander asked as  he noticed her staring at herself in the mirror.  "Yeah, hun..I'm fine...just thinking..." she replied as she caressed her half naked body.  "About what...." he asked as he slowly walked towards her.  He thought to himself how beautiful she was standing there in only her bra and pajama bottoms.  He loved how she looked at eight months pregnant...although she thought she was fat.  He told her everyday that she was beautiful not fat...he hoped that she took his words to heart.  "About how things have turned out for us...married, having a baby, living here in a plush penthouse..and how fat I look..ya know the usual." she replied as she turned around to face him.  "Oh...hunny, your not fat!.." he said softly.  "Yes I am...look at me..none of my clothes fit any more..I have to buy clothes it seems like every week...I'm fat...fat I tell you.." she replied with a sigh.  "Emily....you are not...I think you are beautiful and more and more everyday..." Zander replied as he tried to soothe her self conscious thoughts.  "If you say so...ugh." she replied as she wandered towards the dresser of drawers.  "I do say so...and I am going to tell you that everyday that we are together...cause it is true." he replied as he slipped his shoes on.  He made his way towards the bedroom door and hesitated.  He turned around and looked at her once more before leaving to pick up Alex.  "Come here..." he said as he opened his arms to her.  She quickly rushed into his arms as he wrapped his strong arms around her and held her close.  "I love you...Em...and I always will, you can believe that..." he said as she felt his heart beating through his silk shirt.  "I know...and I love you too..." she replied.  "You better get going you don't want to be late to pickup Alex." she added.  With that said Zander released his hold on her and gently kissed her soft lips.  "Go...your daughter is waiting.." she said as she pulled back her kiss.  "I'm going..and don't forget to take along the guards today...I need you to be protected...don't give them the slip.." he said seriously.  "I know..and I won't forget...I swear..." she replied as she crossed her heart.  "Now go...." she added as he hesitated in going down the short flight of stairs.

Emily counted to herself till she heard the apartment door close tightly.  She took a deep breath and slipped on the clothes she had lying on the bed.  As she made her way down the stairs, she heard the phone ringing in the living room.  She quickly reached for the phone as it rang for the third time.  "Hello.." she said trying to catch her breath.  "Emily....it's Elizabeth.  Am I interrupting something.." she inquired.  "No..I was just getting dressed and had to rush to get the phone.." Emily replied knowing what Elizabeth was hinting at.  "Is Zander home?..." Elizabeth asked hoping he wasn't....cause it give them time to talk about things...girl things.  "Uh, no he just left..I don't expect him back for a few hours....why..you wanna come over..?" Emily asked as she got excited about seeing her best friend.  "Sure...I'll be there in a few..." she replied.  "Great...I'll see you in a little bit.." Emily replied and than hung up the phone.

Emily opened the door of the apartment and peered out into the hallway for Antonio and noticed him standing by the elevator.  He noticed her too and slowly walked towards her as she opened the door a little farther.  "I just wanted to let you know that Elizabeth Spencer is coming by in a few minutes...please show her in when she arrives." she said as he drew closer.  Antonio nodded as to her request and returned to his post by the elevator.  Emily closed the apartment door and reached for the phone that sat on the table next to the door.  If she was expecting company...she needed food.  Besides she was hungry and the baby left her know it.  She called down to the restaurant that was located on the first floor and asked if they could deliver two ham and cheese club sandwiches with pickles to 2020P.  She thanked them and hung up the phone.  She better make sure Antonio knows some one is coming with the delivery.  She returned to the open hallway to tell him about the delivery and he noticed her in the doorway.  "Maam..." he said as he turned and looked at her.  "I ordered lunch for me and Elizabeth...it should be coming up shortly..okay.." she said as she held the door open with her hand.  "I'll be sure to bring in as soon as it arrives.."  "Thanks!..." she replied as she slowly closed the door.

Emily wandered over and sat on the sofa in the living room with her back to the door as she thought about what Alexis had said earlier that morning.  Zander was so worried about her and the baby, he didn't need anything else to think about right now.  Sonny had taught him well, but he didn't teach how to stay so calm through tense situations...Sonny had just said it takes practice.

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Zander and his guards made their way to the PC Hotel to pick up Alex and take her to the park.  He was hesitant about being out in the open with her...but he promised.  He and his guards were alert to their surroundings and would protect her at all costs.  The four men entered the PC Hotel and made their way to Steph's room as many people in the lobby noticed his entourage walking with him.  They took the elevator the floor where they were staying.  Zander was thinking only of his daughter at the moment and expected his guards to worry about protecting the two of them while they were out.

Zander found the room at the end of a long hallway and hesitated before he knocked on the door.  Zander raised his closed hand and knocked on the door with a light tap.  The door opened and he stood face to face with Steph once again.  She wore a pair of those jeans he loved so much and a very vibrant red sweater with a low cut front.  Zander was thinking she had was wearing what she was wearing for him...on purpose.  He could tell from her letter and their meeting yesterday that the purpose for her coming to Port Charles was not only for Alex's sake but for her as well.  He wanted so badly to put the past behind him but she had come into his life once again and all the memories of their time together came rushing back.  He didn't want them to, but they did and with a vengeance.  There was no way on this God's green earth he was going to mislead her into thinking there was a chance, because there wasn't...he's married to the woman he loves and he would never do anything to jeopardize what they have.

"Alex is expecting you...Alex." Steph said as she moved towards the bedroom door.  "Great...is she ready to go..." Zander asked as Steph opened the door.  "Alex....daddy's here.." she said as she entered the room where Alex had been watching television.  It took no more than a few seconds before his little girl came running out and grabbed onto his legs.  "Hey there sweetheart...you ready to spend the day in the park?" he asked as he scooped her up in his arms.  "I missed you..." he added as he gave her a kiss on her cheek.  "I missed you too...daddy.." she replied as Steph started to put on her coat.  "Mommy...you going with us.." Alex asked as Steph zipped up her coat.  "Well..I guess so..if it's okay with your daddy that I tag along.." Steph replied as she glanced at Zander.  "Yeah..sure...that's fine with me." he replied as he got a little nervous about her standing that close to him again.  "Let me just grab my coat..." she said as she reached for it behind him on the coat rack by the door.  Zander knew he had to stop thinking what he was thinking.  It was like it was yesterday that they were living in Florida and spending time as a family...he had enough to worry about with Emily, he didn't need anything else to have invade his thoughts...he needed to be there for Alex and nothing more.

As soon as they had everything they needed they headed out the door and down to the lobby where the car was waiting for them outside.  Steph was just amazed at what became of him...limos, nice suits, and everything was so different..but Alex was the same man.  He was kind, generous, protective, and strong....she remembered him being so protective of them when they were living in Florida.  And he was the same way still.  She knew when he left Florida, she would never forget him and would never stop loving him.  She just hoped he would do the same.  She knew he was married and a child on the way, but she couldn't help the feelings that came rushing back when they were reunited yesterday.  It felt so natural for them to be a family...a family once again.

Zander's guards followed them down to the car and waited for them to climb in before closing the door of the limo.  Zander gave instructions to the driver that they were headed to the park.  It only took a few minutes for them to pull up alongside the park in the center of town.  He sat there a few moments hoping that things would go well today...he needed this..he needed to spend some quality time with Alex.  She needed him and he was so happy he could be a part of her life once again.

The driver sat behind the wheel and didn't flinch while Zander opened the door to step out of the car.  He held the door for Steph as she unbuckled Alex from the seat belt she was strapped in.  As soon as Alex was in her mother's arms, Zander closed the door and wrapped his arm around them as they walked towards the swings.  It was habit and didn't realize he was doing so until Steph gave him one of her smiles.  He quickly removed his arm from her waist as they approached the swings.  The park wasn't to full of people which was good, cause his guards wouldn't have any distractions.  As Alex laughed and enjoyed her time on the swings, Zander looked at his watch and noticed it was after noon.  "Anyone hungry?.." he asked as he stood and watched his daughter having a good time.  "Sure..." Steph replied as she pushed Alex in the swing.  Zander motioned for one the guards to come over to fetch some hot dogs from the mobile vendor he saw when they entered the park.  He took some money from his pocket and gave it to Frank who stood beside him and told him to get three hot dogs..two with mustard and one plain.  Frank nodded as he turned and walked away.

"You remembered..." she said as she took a seat in the swing next to Alex.  "Of course I remembered...you always ate hot dogs with mustard...you think I'd forget..." he said as she smiled at him and leaned back in her seat as her hair fell back and way from her.  "I just figured you didn't think about the past that much lately...ya know with your wife and all..." Steph replied as she tried to get the swing going in a forward motion.  "I think about it from time to time.." he replied as he walked behind her and gave her a soft push to get the momentum going of the swing.  "Me too...." she said as she laid her head back and looked up at him with a grin.  "Steph...there are a few things we need to talk about..." he said as he placed his hands above hers on the chains of the swing and slowed it down to a complete stop.  He glanced over and noticed Alex was certainly enjoying herself swinging along side.  "Yeah, I kinda figured that..." she replied as she twisted herself and the chain around to face him.  "Look...I love spending time with Alex..I really do and I appreciate you taking the time to bring her to see me...but...." Zander said as he knelt down and looked into her eyes.  Just than he noticed Frank approaching with hot dogs in hand and hesitated with his thought.  "Thanks..." he replied as he took the hot dogs from Frank's hands.  "Sure...anything else sir..."  Frank replied as he stuffed his hands in his coat pockets.  "No...that's it for now...." Zander replied as he handed Steph her hot dog.  Steph unwound the chain as she turned around and sat waiting for him to finish his thought he started.  Zander took hold of the chains on the swing Alex was in and stopped it completely before he helped Alex down from the swing.  "Let's walk..." he said as he took Alex's hand.  Steph followed him over to one of the picnic tables that sat close by.  Zander sat down the food on the table and picked up Alex and sat her down on the table as Steph straddled the bench.  He did the same and faced her with Alex sitting between them.  Steph assisted Alex with eating her hot dog as Zander kept alert to his surroundings.

"But...what..." Steph asked as she brushed the crumbs off her hands.  "But...I'm married now to Emily and I love her so much..we have been through alot together and I have no intentions of hurting her." he replied as he looked into her green eyes.  The same green eyes that made him melt every time he looked at her.  "Alex...I know..and I'm sorry if this is uncomfortable for you...I really am..but right now at this very moment..I am trying so hard not to lean over and kiss you...." she replied as her words drifted off.  The two of them straddling the bench as they were, their knees were only inches apart as Steph drifted closer to him.  He was taken back by her being so forward and he didn't want to have happen what she obviously wanted.  At that moment she raised her hand and brushed the side of his face, following his jaw line with her index finger.  He needed to stop this now before they said or did something they would regret.  It seemed things were not going as he planned...it was becoming a situation that he certainly did not want to be in.  Zander reached up and took her hand in his as she drifted closer to him.  Her knees had now nudged his out of the way as she moved herself closer.  He was becoming very uncomfortable with her being so close to him....he knew his feelings towards her could be nothing more than a love for the mother of his child.  "Steph...we can't..." he said softly has she reached up with her free hand and placed it on the nape of his neck as she drew him closer to her.  "Can't what...." she whispered.  With that said...she brushed his lips lightly with hers as she felt him give in to it.  It took only a brief moment before he pulled back and looked at her with regret.  He knew in his heart that this should not happen...but as he sat with her so close to him, he cupped her face in his hands.  "God...I want to...and it is so wrong for me to want to..." he said as he noticed his wedding band on his left hand.  "Alex..." she said breathless.  "No...we can't do this..this can not happen..." he said again as if to try to convince himself that this was wrong.

In a few brief moments, he had thought of doing wrong and almost given in to what could of been.  He knew he couldn't resist temptation much longer and needed to remove himself from the situation.  Zander stood up and walked a few feet from the table as he ran his hands through his black hair.  "What am I thinking...." he said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes for a brief moment.  Steph sat on the bench and watched him as he pondered what to do next.  He turned around and stood for a moment looking at a family that could of been.  A family that once was...he had a new life, a new family he loved so much.  Emily and the new baby were what mattered, but Alex was his too and he needed to make sure that she didn't come to him in a package deal.

Steph stood and walked closer to him as he watched Alex playing with her napkin at the table.  As she drew closer he was feeling more and more uncomfortable about this.  "Relax..." she said as she wrapped her arms around him.  "Steph...I can't...really..." he replied as he pulled back from her.  "Alex...we need you....I need you.." she replied as he turned away from her.  Frank had come into view and Zander motioned for him to come over.  Frank quickly walked towards them as Steph picked up Alex.  "Would you take Alex back to the car...we'll be right there..." Zander asked as Frank stood in front of him.  "Sure...not a problem.." he replied as he passed by Zander and took Alex from Steph.  "Thanks ... " Zander replied as Frank walked back towards the car.

"Steph...I need for you to listen..." Zander said as he turned to her and took her hand in his.  "Okay..I'm listening..." she replied as she tightened her grip on his hand.  "There are many things about my life that you do not know and I prefer to keep it that way...at least for now.  Ya see this.." he said as he showed her his wedding band.  "Yeah...so.." she replied as she glanced at the gold band his was wearing.  "I love my wife..deeply and I have promised her to love her, honor her, and to cherish her for life.  This means that we can't go back to the way it used to be...Steph, we can't be a family...now, I love Alex..I really do.  And I love you as the mother of my child..but nothing more.  I want to be a part of Alex's life as long as you will let me, but we can never go back to the way it was.  We just can't." he replied as they stood under one of the many oak trees in the park.

"Okay...fine..if we can't go back than we can't go back...but what do we do with the feelings that we have for each other..and don't tell you didn't feel them rushing back a few moments ago..." she replied as she took her seat again on the bench.  "I don't know...and I know that isn't the answer you wanted to hear, but for now...that's all I got." he replied as he seemed to be drawn to her.  As he stood before her, she rose once again and he wrapped his arms around her and held her close.  He couldn't believe this was happening..it was the last thing he wanted to have happen...he couldn't resist..as his feelings of his past with her over came him.  They stood a few moments embracing as she looked up at him and before he knew it she kissed him softly again with a more feeling than the first.  He pulled back and released the kiss...."Come on..Alex is waiting in the car with Frank...." he said softly as their embrace was released.  "Okay..." she replied as she took his hand in hers.

He released his grip from her hand as they walked back towards the car.  She felt him pull away from her just like he used to do when things were getting way to uncomfortable for him.

She knew him so well....at least she used to.  As they walked back towards the car, he tried to convince himself of what had just happened was so wrong....he was so wrong for feeling what he was feeling.  He needed to go back and hold his wife in his arms...he needed Emily.   He had to deny the feelings he once had for Steph and let them go.  He just didn't know how.

Chapter 16
 

It seemed a thunderstorm had moved in over Port Charles as Zander awoke to the roll of thunder and a flash of lightning as he looked at the clock on his night stand.  Two o'clock am was written in neon green across the front of the clock as it stared him in the face.  He glanced over at Emily sleeping peacefully next to him and wondered what she was dreaming at that moment.  As he lay in the darkness and the silence of the room only to hear the rain pounding against the windows and the roll of thunder, he remembered what had happened a few days before with Steph and their conversation in the park.  He knew he left her hanging with only "I don't knows.." but that was all he had for her at the moment.  He turned onto his side as he snuggled up close to Emily and lay awake wanting so to forget about what had taken place in the park.  He couldn't stop thinking about the kiss Steph and he shared, even though she instigated, he gave in.  It will be something that would never happen again...he had to make sure of that.  He closed his eyes as he felt Emily take a hold of his hand and bring it across in front of her.  He interlaced their fingers as he started to drift back to sleep.

The alarm rang at seven o'clock sharp as usual, as he turned over to turn it off.  He missed the off button and slapped the snooze instead.  It was raining and the sky was clouded over, it was just a day to stay in bed.  He could do that now...he was the boss and he could take the day off if he wanted to.  He lye half asleep as he felt Emily's hand drift up across his bare chest.  She lay next to him and fully aware that he wasn't sleeping either.  "Zander...you awake.." she asked as she pulled herself closer to him.  "Yeah..." he whispered.  "I didn't wake you did I.." she asked quietly.  "No....I was awake..just thinking." he replied as he looked down into the soft eyes that looked back at him.  He reached over and turned the alarm off before it sounded again.  She drifted her hand up long the front of his chest to his chin and drew it down to met her face to face.  She reached up and kissed him lightly on his soft lips as she did every morning.  "I love you...." she whispered softly as she brushed his lips again as she released the first.  "I love you too...always.." he replied as she left him breathless.  This is where he wanted to be forever and always, right here with her...she was his life and he promised her the moon when he married her.  He had no intention of going back on his word...he loved her and was never going to leave her.

Dr. Meadows had told Emily at their last visit that she could deliver any day now...she was past the date he was concerned with and the baby would decide when he was ready.  And today of all days looked to be the day...

Zander noticed Emily wince as her hand moved quickly from his chest to her side as if to gesture she had pain.  "Em...are you alright.." he asked with concern.  "Uh..no..I think it's time..." she replied as the pain she was feeling became stronger.  Zander hesitated for a moment while he thought of the things they needed to take with them.  Emily had a bag already to go when it was time and they way it looked the big day had finally arrived.  "Tell me what you need me to do...Em." he asked as he quickly jumped out of bed and slipped on his jeans.  "I need you to..." she began and then "Ououwah..." she cried out.  Zander knew with that..they needed to hurry and get her to GH.  He grabbed the tee that lay over the chair and slipped it over his head...he then assisted her to her feet.  "Grab the bag...." she said as she tried to walk towards the door.  Another contraction had made her buckle as he quickly grabbed on to her to catch her.  They contractions were close enough together for them to know if they didn't get to the hospital shortly, he would be delivering this baby on his own.  Zander helped her down the stairs with the bag in hand as he opened the door and yelled for Antonio.  "We need to get to the hospital, the contractions have become stronger and their about 7 minutes apart." he replied as Antonio rushed towards them.  Antonio helped Emily to the elevator as Zander closed the door behind him.  He had enough time to grab her robe, slippers, and his shoes before they left the apartment.  The contractions subsided, but not for long.  Emily winced everytime would start so Zander could time them on his watch.

They finally reached the emergency room, where he quickly assisted her out of the car and towards the automated doors.  No surprise, Alan was standing at the nurses station as they arrived.  "Dr. Quartermaine...call Dr. Meadows.." Zander shouted as they made their way to where he was standing.  "Oh my God..when did the contractions start..." he asked concerned.  "This morning...and their about..." Zander began as he looked at his watch.."five minutes apart."  he added.  "Amy call Dr. Meadows and tell him to meet us up on the maternity floor...we'll take her up there."  Emily sat down in the wheelchair one of the orderlies had provided her.  "Em...do you have any pain now..." her father asked as Zander stood next to her.  "No...not now..I think it passed.." she said as Zander took the handle bars of the wheel chair.  The took the first elevator that came down and stepped in side quickly as Alan pressed the number 4.  The doors opened once again as soon as they closed.

Zander wheeled his wife out of the elevator as they met Dr. Meadows who was standing at the nurses station waiting for them.  "Emily...how far apart are the contractions..." he asked.  "About five minutes...and they are coming on strong.." she replied as she winced when she felt one coming on again.  Dr. Meadows noticed her facial expression and took it to mean they were now closer than five minutes.  "Zander, you have to stay here for a few minutes..I'll come and get you when she's ready..." he said as he took over the handle bars from him.  Zander knew there was no arguing with him...even though his concern was for Emily, he nodded in agreement.  Alan had placed a call to Monica who was on the tenth floor making rounds.  Zander followed close behind Dr. Meadows until he wheeled Emily through the double swinging doors marked RESTRICTED.  Zander anxious to be with her and concerned for her stood and wrung his hands in desperation.  He didn't want her to be alone and hoped it wouldn't take that long for Dr. Meadows to come and get him.

It wasn't long before he saw Dr. Meadows walking down the long corridor towards him.  Zander rushed to meet him as he walked out from behind the double doors.  "Can I go be with her now..." Zander asked in a panic of a concerned father to be.  "Yes you can .. come on...I'll take you to her.." Dr. Meadows replied as he held one of the doors open for him.  "How is she.." Zander asked as they walked side by side down the long hallway.  "She's fine...she's only about 6 centimeters dilated though so it will be a little while longer till she is in full labor." he replied as he stopped in front of the room where they had put Emily.  Zander walked in and saw her lying on a hospital bed propped up with two large hospital issued pillows.  The nurses had her already prepped in a hospital gown and had a fetal monitored hooked up.  There was a nurse standing reading the heart monitors and making notes on her chart as she read the tape that came from the machine.  "Emily...do you want an epidural? " the nurse asked as Zander approached.  As she was about to answer her question, another contraction came on pretty strong as Emily winced in pain.  "Yeah...anything if it takes away the pain..." she replied as she laid her head back on the pillow..  "Zander...Dr. Meadows said it would be a while yet.." she said as he sat down on the stool next to her.  "Yeah that's what I hear." he replied.

Zander sat with her while she laid in the bed obviously in pain from the contractions that seemed to becoming closer.  As they sat holding each others hand....the anesthesiaologist came in the room to give Emily her epidural.  "Emily...what I need you to do is lean forward and bring your knees to your chest.  Take your pillow and place it between you and your knees.  I need an unobstructed view of your back." he said as he stood by her bedside.  Zander assisted her in doing so as he tried to soothe her while the intern applied the pressure of the needle into her back.  Emily crying in pain from the insertion hoping it would be over soon.  "Almost done...Emily...your doing fine.." he replied as he attached the tube.  Zander just wanted to take the pain she was feeling away as he caressed her arms.  "I'm here...Em.  "It's going to be alright in a few minutes..." Zander said as he noticed the intern was almost done with taping the tube fast.  "Okay..Emily you can lay back down now...but becareful now...cause you have the tube in...we don't want to have to do it again.  It should take effect in a few minutes.

Monica had heard Emily screaming from down the hall and had rushed into the room to be with her daughter.  "What happened?" she asked in panic.  "She's fine...he just gave her the epidural..." Zander replied.  "And it hurt like hell..." Emily replied as she felt more uncomfortable now with the tube in.  "I know Em...I've been there remember...but it will take the pain away...believe me." her mother replied as she looked over the vital signs on the monitors.  The baby's heart beat was strong at 135...anything below 120 she would be concerned.  "Everything looks fine..." she replied as she looked over Emily's chart.  "You have a little while to go..." she added.  "Em...another contraction is about to..." her mother began.  Emily winced once again as the contraction added the pressure to her lower abdomen area.  Zander sat with concern through every contraction Emily had...she squeezed his hand tightly through every one.

A few hours past and Dr. Meadows returned to check on Emily's progress.  He allowed Zander to stay as he checked how far along Emily had dilated since she arrived.  "Emily...any time now...your about 8 centimeters...I'd say within an hour so...maybe two..."  he replied as he stripped the latex glove from his hand.  Emily's water hadn't broke and he didn't seemed concerned about it....at least not yet.  Emily had been allowed visitors till it was time for her to deliver, so her mother and father frequently visited within the past few hours.  Emily was showing signs of exhaustion...she was tired and completely worn out even before she started full blown labor.  Zander sat quietly with her trying to soothe her and make her comfortable.  By this time she wasn't feeling any of the contractions, the epidural had taken full effect.

Zander had let it up to Monica to make the phone calls to Elizabeth and Alexis, as well as Sonny and Carly to let them all know that Emily was at the hospital in labor.  He sat with her and held her hand as he heard familiar voices outside the door as Edward and Monica walked into the room.  "Emily, dear....how are you feeling?" he asked as he stood next to Zander.  "That's a stupid question there, Grandfather..." she replied as she turned her head to look at him.  "I'm hangin in there...Zander's been a great help and comfort." she added.  "Dr. Meadows said it should be soon...." Monica replied as she rubbed her hand along Emily's leg trying to relieve some of the pressure.  Surprisingly Edward didn't say a word to Zander as he visited with Emily...usually he had a few choice words to say to him...deviant, kidnapper, criminal...take your pick.  Zander figured this was one time he wasn't going to start anything...his great-grand-child was about to be born.

Zander looked at his watch and noticed that they had been at the hospital now about 4 hours since they brought her in....and he wondered how much longer it would be.  With that thought, Dr. Meadows appeared in the doorway.  "Okay..Emily...how are we feeling.." he asked as he approached and slipped on another latex glove.  "Fine.." she replied.  "Any pain?" he asked as he sat down at her feet.  "No..no pain..."  she replied.  "Good that's how we like it.." he replied jokingly.  As he examined her, he decided it was time to break her water...it hadn't broken on its own and the baby was getting closer to the canal.  However he wasn't quite in the position he would of liked.  "Emily, I need you to lay on your side for a little while.  We need to move the baby's position..." he said as a concerned look came over Zander's face.  "Nothing to worry about...it happens sometimes..." he replied.  Zander and her doctor assisted her onto her side and he tried to soothe their concerns before he left the room.  Zander started massaging her upper leg to relieve some of the tension she had.  It was a long process and soon it would be over...he hoped.

The waiting was torture...and Emily was exhausted.  She slept most of the time as Zander sat and held her hand just patiently waiting for the doctor to give her the signal to push.  About a half hour had past and the doctor returned.  "Okay...Emily..let's see if this baby is ready." he said as he sat once again at her feet. Emily turned onto her back as Zander brushed her auburn hair away from her face.  Dr. Meadows examined her again and looked up at her with a smile.  "I'll be right back...and than we can start.  You're fully dilated now...but I need to get some assitance in here to help us out." he replied as he got up and headed for the door.  Emily relieved to hear him say those words.  She had been in labor now for close to six hours.

Dr. Meadows returned with three nurses and the equipment he needed.  The nurses laid a blue drop cloth on the floor as one removed the bottom part of the bed and lifted the stirrup type brackets into position.  One nurse than assisted Emily putting her feet up on the bracket as the other laid a cloth over top of her midsection.  One watched the monitor intently noticing that a contraction would soon arise and it would be the cue for Emily to start pushing for the first time.  Between Zander and one of the nurses they propped Emily up to prep her to push her first push.  "Okay..Emily...as soon as you feel the contraction coming on...I want you to push.  Just bear down and push as hard as you can." her doctor said as he looked up at her from beneath the blue cloth sheet.  "Okay..." she said in anticipation.  Zander stood beside her waiting for the cue to urge her on.

At the first sign of the pressure, Emily started to push.  "Push hard..Emily..almost done.." he replied as he saw the first sign of their newborn.  The contraction was over in a few minutes..."Okay relax...now they are going to start coming closer..only a minute or so apart.." Dr. Meadows replied.  Emily relaxed she could feel another one start.  She started her push again, as Zander encouraged with every ounce of strength he had.  "Okay..Emily...I see his head now...your doing great.  Hang in there...only a few more pushes and he'll be out.."  "Promise.. " she replied.  "I promise.."   A few moments passed as another contraction started.  Emily cried out in pain with this push as the baby's head was crowning now.  She felt the pressure being applied as the baby made his way down. "You're doing great..Em..just great.." Zander said as he snuck a peak at what was going on below the blue sheet.  "Emily...I need you to breath deep and have a complete push...follow through." her doctor said.  The next push came fast as she did what she was told, and with one push the baby's head appeared.  Dr. Meadows asked for the suction dropper to suction out the baby's mouth as another push was immediate. "Another good push there Emily...and the shoulders will follow..." he replied as Emily pushed as hard as she could.  "You're doing great there, Emily..one more like that one.." Zander said as he snuck another peek at his son who was almost here.  She looked at him exhausted as he brushed her hair back.  "One more Emily...come on one more..." Dr. Meadows said as he caught the baby's shoulders in his hands.  He suctioned the rest of his mouth out as the rest of the baby just slipped through. "Emily...the two of you have a beautiful baby boy..." he replied as the baby's first cries were heard from below the sheet.  She and Zander cried together tears of joy as Dr. Meadows placed the baby on the blue sheet that lay over her.  He took the umbilical cord in his hand and offered Zander the scissors.  "Wanna cut the cord..." he asked as Zander stood in awe of his newborn son.  "Yeah sure...where.." he said as he took the scissors in his hand.  "Right there..." Dr. Meadows pointed to a spot on the cord.  The nurse quickly clipped it off and wrapped the newborn in a soft cloth type blanket as Emily held her son close to her.

"You did it...Emily.." Zander said as he kissed her lightly on her lips.  "No..Zander..we did it.." she replied as the tears of joy trickled down her cheeks.  The nurse picked up the baby boy gently as Emily hesitated in giving him up already.  "I'll bring him right back..." the nurse said with a smile as she knew Emily didn't want to give him up yet.  The nurse laid him in the glass cradle of sorts and gently washed him off as she counted every toe and every finger making sure they were all there.  Zander walked over and took a good look at his son.  He too counted all his fingers and toes to make sure they were all accounted for.  The nurse picked him up and carried him over to the metal scale that sat next to the him where she placed him inside to weigh him.  "7 pounds...6 ounces..." she said aloud as Dr. Meadows wrote down on Emily's chart.  "Measurements...21 inches long...head..." she began as Zander became oblivious to her words as he stood as stared at his son in the glass basket.  His little legs and arms moving back and forth.  He had been crying in the whole time...he certainly got the lungs from the Quartermaine side of the family.  Zander chuckled with the thought.  The nurse was finished taking the measures and wrapped him in a blue blanket and handed him back to Emily as Zander came and sat beside her.  "He's perfect..." the nurse replied as Emily took her son in her arms.  "I knew he would be..." Emily replied as she looked at her husband who hadn't taken his eyes off of his son.  The couple shared a few precious and emotional moments with their newborn before visitors were allowed in to see him.  "Zander...why don't you go out and let everyone know...I'm sure they are frantic by now." Emily asked as she held her son tightly.  "Sure...I'm sure your parents are beside themselves by now..." he replied with a grin at the thought.  With that said he kissed his son lightly and turned towards the door.  "Em...I love you.." he said as he turned and looked at her once more.  "I love you too." she replied.  "Go.." she added as he stepped into the hallway.

Zander made his way down the hallway, showing his emotions of joy and excitement as he made his way towards the double doors that led into the waiting area.  He stood for a brief moment as he peered out the window and saw the waiting area was filled with her family and their friends.  He pushed open the door as they all looked up and noticed he walked through the doors.

"Well....tell us.." Monica came rushing to his side.  "Is she alright...the baby?" she added in a fluster.  "Zander..say something.."   "It's a boy! We have a son and Emily is fine." he replied with a smile from ear to ear.  "He's perfect...seven pounds...six ounces..21 inches long.."  he added as Elizabeth and the gang who was waiting came over and they embraced in one huge hug.  "Congratulations...Zander." Monica replied as she stood next to her son-in-law.  "Thank you..." he replied as the tears of joy returned.  "Can we see her...and the baby..." she asked as Alan walked quickly to be by her side.  "Sure..come on.." he replied as he led the way.  "I'll be right back.." he added as he turned to the others waiting.  The three of them walked dow the hall as they heard the baby crying as they made their way to the room.  Monica and Alan entered their daughter's room as the saw her holding their new grand-child in her arms.  "Aw..he's perfect..." Monica said as she kissed Emily on the forehead.  "Alan...he's perfect.." she added as she looked up at her husband.  "Emily...you did good..." he replied as he leaned in and kissed her as well.  "I'll give you two a little time with Emily...I'll be right out in the waiting room if you need me.." Zander said as he brushed his lips with hers.  "Zander...do you want to hold him for a bit before you leave..." Emily said as he stood admiring the newborn in her arms.  "Sure..." he replied  "Of course I do..." he added.  He gently picked him up from her arms and cradled him close as his son looked up at him.  This was the moment he had been waiting for since Emily told him she was pregnant.  To hold his son...his son in his arms was the best feeling.  He held him for a few moments before on the nurse came in and said she needed to take him for a little while, but she would bring him when it was time to feed him. Zander handed over his son to the nurse who stood before him and kissed him gently on his head.  He watched as the nurse turned and walked out of the room with him.

"Okay...now I'm going to leave the three of you alone for a while..." he said as he headed for the door.  "Thank you Zander..." Alan replied as he turned and looked at him standing in the hall.  Zander made his way down the hall towards the waiting area once again, as everyone was still waiting patiently for him to return.  He pushed open the double doors and walked towards the seating area as Elizabeth came to greet him.  "Everything is fine..right.." she asked as Lucky stood behind her.  "Yeah..everything is fine...the nurse just took the baby for a little while but she said she would bring him back for his first feeding." he replied as they led him to take a seat with them.  "So..have you guys been here all day?" he asked as he ran his hands through his hair.  "Most of us..." Nikolas replied as he leaned forward in his seat.  "Well, I'm sure Emily appreciates that all of you were here for her." he replied.  "We wouldn't have it any other way.." Lucky replied as Sonny and Carly came up on them.  "Everything is fine..." Sonny asked.  "Yes....mother and baby are fine..." Zander replied as he stood up from his seat.  "We're happy to hear it...Zander." Carly replied as she gave him a friendly hug.  "You should go home and get some rest...you look exhausted..." she said as she stepped back.  "Me...I look exhausted...Emily should be the one getting the rest...she did all the work...." he said.  "From what I heard she did all the work the first time round too..." Elizabeth said with a giggle.  "Hey...I heard that..." Zander replied with a chuckle of his own.

"Well, guys...it will be a few hours before neither of them will be ready for visitors.  I would suggest you go home and come back later." Zander suggested as Alexis came up from behind him.  "Do you need anything..." she asked.  "As a matter of fact I do..." he replied.  "I could use a change of clothes...we left the penthouse so fast I didn't get time to get dressed all together." he added.  "Sure...I'll be back with a change of clothes for you in a few.." she said as she gave him a quick hug and headed for the elevators.  "Now would the rest of you get outta here...go home...I'll call you when she's ready for visitors." he said as he tried to send them all home.

As the mob of friends dispersed...Edward and Lila were left standing before him.  Zander looked at Edward as Lila asked how her granddaughter was doing.  "She's fine and the baby's fine..her parents are with her now..." he replied to her question.  "Would you like to see her..Mrs. Quartermaine.." he asked politely.  "I would...would you be a dear and take me to her." she replied as she shooed Edward away from the chair as Zander took the handles of the wheel chair.  "Sure I will...I'm sure Emily would be very happy to see you." he replied as he pushed her through the double doors leading back to Emily's room.

Edward stood alone in the waiting room thinking of what it means to have a new great-grandchild in his life.  Emily was so happy being with Zander..just as he was so happy being with Lila for the last fifty some years.  He sat and wondered if he had made a mistake about Zander and wondered if it would be too late to change his mind about how he felt about him.  It was time.