"Could you fix this?" Sonny asked Simone. They stood in the foyer in front of the hall mirror. He had been fumbling with his tie for five minutes and Simone wondered if he would ever ask her for help. She grinned at him and nodded. "Thanks," he murmured, standing still as she grabbed the silk fabric.

"I'm still not sure why you're wearing this," she said. The dark purple tie complimented his attire, but it was unnecessary. He would look distinguished no matter what he wore...or didn't wear. "The invitation said to look nice. You can do that without a tie."

"I don't wanna go looking like a slob, you know." His dark eyes twinkled as he accessed her dark orange-red floor length gown. The color was gorgeous against her honey-colored skin tone. His dimples deepened as he smiled. "Besides, look at you. I still haven't decided if you should wear that dress outside the house. I'm not sure if I like that."

"What's not to like?" she asked.

"The split that stops right about here." His hand slipped between the slit of the dress and stroked her silken thigh. "The temptation is too much to resist. If you wear this, I won't be responsible for my behavior."

"Is that a promise?"

His hands closed around her waist and pulled her against him. "It's a guarantee."

She tugged on the tie and tossed it to a nearby chair. "To hell with that. Kiss me!"

He willingly obliged her request. In the back of their minds, they were aware that their teenage daughter was home so neither allowed passion to ignite too strongly. But it was still there. Burning between them. Both anticipated quenching the flames later after the party.

In the distance, the telephone rang. Shana answered and then yelled for her mother. "Mama! Telephone!"

Reluctantly, the couple pulled away. Simone joined her youngest in the living room and took the phone from her. She mouthed, 'Who is it?'

Shana shrugged. She didn't recognize the voice.

"Hello. This is Dr. Corinthos," Simone said into the receiver.

"Dr. Corinthos, huh? Hmm... I remember when you were Dr. Hardy. One half of a winning team."

Simone heart almost stopped. There was a time when she wanted to hear that voice, but that had long since passed. Without her ex-husband's help, she raised their son into a fine man. She didn't want him in her life and wondered why he would return now. "Tom."

He laughed softly. "I wasn't sure you'd remember my voice. I hoped...I mean we do share a son."

"Correction. We did."

"I wasn't around. I admit that," Tom said, "but I'm here now. I want to make things right."

"So why are you calling me?" she asked. "You should have called Tommy. Not me."

"I would have, but... I'm not sure how receptive he'd be to me right now," Tom said quietly. "It's been over twenty years. I wouldn't know what to say to him."

"I don't have the answers for you-"

"Simone, please! Just hear me out."

She was quiet for a few moments and then she said, "I'm still here. What do you want from me? I can't work miracles, and I won't try to persuade Tommy to do anything he doesn't want to do. He's a grown man now with a family of his own. He does what he thinks is best. I stopped thinking for him a long time ago."

"He has a wife and twin daughters," Tom said with awe in his voice. "He's done things that make me proud. All I want is for him to know that. I know I don't have the right to be proud of him, but I am. Can't you just tell him I talked to you and want to see him?"

"Tom... I'm not sure..."

Sonny entered the room. He spoke softly to Shana, who left the room. He then went to Simone. "Who is that? We should be leaving soon."

"Please, Simone," Tom begged. "Just think about it. I'm on my way back to Port Charles. Once I arrive, I'll call again with my number and everything. Thanks. I'll be in touch."

She hung up before the dial tone hummed in her ear. "That was Tom. He wants me to help ease him back into Tommy's life."

"Will you?" Sonny asked.

"I'll tell Tommy Tom called, but I won't do any more than that," she answered. "Do you think I'm being petty?"

He kissed her cheek. "No. Tom walked out without looking back. He's lucky you didn't hang up on him. Shana is in the car waiting for us. Are you ready?"

"Yeah. Let's go."

~*~

Tommy and Lorenzo approached Nikolas just as he was about to check on the status of all the preparations again. They both stood on either side of him and grabbed an arm, steering him towards the house. "What are you doing?" he asked them. "I have rounds to make."

"You have a party to get ready for," Tommy reminded him.

"Yeah, and if you don't get showered, shaved and dressed soon, your wife is coming after you," Lorenzo reminded him.

"Did she put you two up to this?" Nikolas asked.

Tommy frowned. "Would she do something like that? Your sweet, wonderful, patient wife?"

"Yeah," Lorenzo added, "does that sound like her to you?"

Nikolas laughed. "Okay, okay. I know she did. I'll go, but make sure everything is as it should be. Adrik's pets have a habit of escaping at the weirdest times. Could you make sure that they're all locked up in their proper cages? And also-"

"We know," Tommy interjected. "Just relax. We have it covered. Stefan and Carrie have arrived and Dara and Alex are here, too. We're all willing to pitch in. The party will be perfect. Just go upstairs."

"And get out of the way!" Lorenzo said, giving his brother a hard pat on the back. "You're supposed to make a grand entrance. It's no fun if the guests see you beforehand."

"Okay, okay!" Nikolas jogged up the staircase and left the final walk through up to his family's capable hands. He knocked on the children's doors and yelled their names as he did so. Each replied with the response that they were almost ready and would be waiting for him and their mother in their designated spot at the designated time. He released a sigh of relief and went to the bedroom he shared with Dawn, slamming the door behind him.

He saw that someone had laid out their clothes on the bed. The lavender scent of Dawn's bath salts filled the air and he quickly began to discard his clothes. His appetite for her was insatiable and just maybe they could get some fast loving in before they had to make their grand entrance as Lorenzo called it.

He ripped off his socks and stepped out of his silk boxers. Singing a little offkey, he sung her name, "Mrs. Cassadine...where are you?"

She giggled first and then answered with her perfectly tuned voice, "In here, my sweet Nikky."

Nikolas would have jumped into the large bathtub, but her eyes warned him that if any water got on her hair, he'd be sorry. Instead, he only caused a mild disturbance in the bubbles when he slid in behind her. "Mmm," he moaned against her ear. His hands glided over her wet curves. "You smell delicious."

"You are insatiable," she accused, turning until she sat astride his lap. She grabbed a bar of soap and rubbed it across his bare, hairless chest. A low purr emitted from the back of her throat and Nikolas' manhood stirred in response.

"Is that a complaint?" he asked, taking the soap from her to return the favor, "or a compliment?"

She positioned her body in such a way that pleasure was a guarantee. He groaned as she gave him a wicked grin. "What do you think?"

"I think I love you," he said. His hands pressed against her back until the tips of her breasts brushed against his solid chest. Their hips rocked in unison and water sloshed around them. Dawn's mouth closed over his, but Nikolas soon took control of the kiss. His tongue plunged into her mouth the same as he moved inside her. Release was close at hand for both of them when the shrill ring of the telephone interrupted their lovemaking.

"Don't answer it," Dawn panted, her cheek resting against his. Her fingers dug into his biceps with each powerful thrust of his pelvis. "Pl-Please, Nikky..."

He wanted to obey her wishes, but the phone wouldn't stop ringing. His finger hovered over the button that would engage the receiver's speakerphone capabilities. "Whatever happens, I won't stop," he promised. Dawn shivered against, but she didn't move away from him. He took a deep breath and pushed the button. "Yes."

"Nikolas? Is this Nikolas Cassadine?"

Dawn gave him a hard look upon the sound of the feminine voice. He shrugged and said, "Yes, this is Nikolas. Who is this?"

A soft laugh answered him first and then the voice said, "I suppose it has been a long time. I wanted to surprise you, but not quite like this. This is Robin. Robin Scorpio. Once upon a time we were friends. I hope that we can be again."

~*~

The bags were packed and there was nothing left for Carly to do except spent her last night doing something fun. She called up Sandy, her closest friend in San Diego, and asked if she'd like to spend a few hours in Los Angeles with her, seeing the sights and just hanging out. Sandy was agreeable to the plan and was at Carly's house within an hour. The two women climbed into Sandy's black SAAB convertible and headed North on the 405 to LA.

The freeway wasn't too crowded and they arrived within the usual two hours that it took to get to the City of Angels. Carly didn't have any specific placed to hangout so Sandy decided to drive around. They cruised Sunset strip and Hollywood before heading toward the beach. They zoomed up Pacific Coast Highway, but there wasn't much to see or do in Malibu so Carly suggested they turn around and go to Venice Beach.

"Don't tell me you wanna spend your last night in the arms of a muscle man?" Sandy teased, pushing strands of red hair from her face. "Tell me anything but that."

Carly laughed. "Um, no! I just wanna see what's out here. Maybe I can pick up some souvenirs for my son and his fiancée."

Sandy shook her head. "When I look at you, I can hardly believe you have a son who's old enough to be engaged."

"I am, but I was awfully young when I had him."

The two women laughed at that joke. Sandy found a parking lot as close to the beach as possible. They secured her car and set off for their adventure.

"Where to first?" Sandy asked. "I'm hungry and honey, my throat is parched. That neon sign over there is flashing my name. 'Sandy. Sandy.'"

Carly laughed. "I am gonna miss you. Are you sure you don't want to transfer to General Hospital with me?"

"I'm sure." Sandy linked her arm with Carly's and turned her towards the flashing neon sign and the bar underneath it. "I will miss you, too, but the East Coast is not for me. It's too damn cold! But if you ever wanna come back, let me know. I'll be waiting for you at the airport with bells on."

"Now, that's a sight I'm not sure I'd want to see. Knowing you, you'd put the bells in the worst place possible."

Sandy giggled. "Well, I'm not one to walk away from attention." They entered the bar. "Here we are. It doesn't look like much, but I hear they have Margaritas to die for here. Of course, you can't have any and I'll only drink some of mine. Is that okay?"

"I've been sober for ten years now. I think I can survive this bar. If not, I'll go outside and wait for you-"

"I don't want you to do that," Sandy interrupted. "Maybe we should just go somewhere else."

"No, we don't have to. We're here now. Let's stay."

They found an empty booth in a far corner along the wall. A strong beat blared from the jukebox and Carly was soon tapping her fingers to the rhythm. A cute waiter came and took their orders. The two women started to talk about Carly's move and Michael's wedding. Sandy teased Carly a lot, but their friendship included lots of teasing. Since Vincent's unexpected death in prison three years before, Carly's ability to laugh seemed to die with him until Sandy became the Night Supervisor of Nurses at the hospital where Carly worked. A friendship grew between the two women instantly.

"I expect you at his wedding," Carly said. "Grace and I aren't too close. Bobbie...well, Mama can be a handful when she wants to be. I'm gonna need an ally."

"What about AJ?" Sandy asked. She knew about Carly's family and was always fascinated by Carly's seemingly lack of interest in her son's father. "He'd look out for you."

"Yeah, maybe, but he's also really close to Keesha. I'm going to this battle with everything stacked against me. I'm telling you that I need a friendly face!"

"Okay, I'll be there," Sandy said. "It's not like I wouldn't go. Port Charles fascinates me. I can't wait to meet all these people up close and personal. Remind me to bring my video camera."

They burst into laughter as the image of Sandy recording everything that happened tickled them. The waiter arrived with their drinks. A Margarita for Sandy and Club Soda for Carly. Sandy sipped some of her drink while Carly did the same. They looked around at the other patrons and a tall man with short blonde hair caught Carly's eyes. Her skin prickled and she stood up without realizing it.

"What's wrong?" Sandy asked.

"That man...I know him."

"What man?" Sandy turned her head. "What does he look like?"

"He has a blonde hair," Carly said in a distant tone. "He just walked out the door. I'll be right back."

She left Sandy in the bar as she raced out onto the boardwalk. Her eyes scanned the crowds for the man she caught a glimpse of inside the bar, but he was nowhere to be found. Finally, she gave up and went back inside. Sandy had a quizzical look on her face. "Did you find him?"

Carly shook her head.

"Who was that guy? Another one of your men from your past?"

Slowly, Carly nodded. "Yeah. He looked like someone who's supposed to be dead."

"Who?" Sandy asked with concern.

"Jason. Michael's uncle and the only man I've ever really loved."