Keesha barely crossed the threshold of Jason's apartment before he swung her into his arms. He squeezed her tight to his broad chest. His hungry mouth descended upon her pliant lips. His practiced touch coaxed a response from her, making her head and heart spin with the influx of emotions that coursed through her. When it all became too much for her... his demanding mouth and roaming hands... she pushed herself free.

"What's wrong?" he asked. His blue eyes blazed with passion, and his chest moved as he fought to catch his breath.

"It's too fast," she whispered, her voice shaky. She turned her back on him and a vision of Stone flashed before her brown eyes. A fantasy of how it would feel to be carried away in his arms came to mind for a split second before guilt and confusion abruptly ended the thought. The sound of Jason's heavy breathing echoed in the small room. She then remembered him and where she was. Shame washed over her anew.

"What's wrong?" His voice was still husky with unspent desire as he repeated his question. Clad only in a pair of faded jeans, he padded across the floor to stand behind her. His strong lean hands reached around to grip the lapel of her coat and deftly pulled it from her body. Once that barrier was gone, he sought to remove another one. His hands slid underneath her sweater and caressed the softness of her flat abdomen. His mouth closed over her earlobe. Between nibbles and kisses, he whispered into her ear. "Let's go slow."

"Jason..." Keesha closed her eyes. Her back arched in anticipation as his hands moved toward the fullness of her lace-covered breasts. A voice nagged at her to stop him before he went too far. Her body groaned in disapproval, reminding her that she needed the physical release. That it had been far too long.

"That's it, sweetheart," he murmured as she surrendered to his touch. He pulled the sweater over her head. The wool material was tossed aside. His mouth moved down to her milk chocolate we needed. Don't you feel how good it is between us? It's gonna be even better..."

One of his hands slid down the waistband of her jeans. Keesha's hand closed over his wrist before the hand wandered too far. The war between her head and body raged inside her. Electrical sensations pulsed through her, making it difficult for her to take a stand. Jason, oblivious to her internal struggle, misinterpreted her actions and took her hand, leading her to his bedroom.

A stage set for seduction was Keesha's first thought as her eyes slowly came into focus. Jason had always been a neat freak, but she had never seen his room so immaculate before. His books were out of sight and everything was in its place, including the roses that adorned the dresser and nightstand. Their heady scent filled her nostrils and mingled with vanilla-scented candles, which illuminated the room. Behind her, the distinct sound of Me'lissa Morgan's 'Do Me Baby' drifted from the speakers and the scene was nearly complete.

Having stripped from his jeans, Jason appeared before her wearing a pair of black boxer briefs that left nothing to her imagination. The chiseled chest, muscular thighs and obvious arousal shouted to Keesha. The shout was primitive and instinctual. Unlike the other times when her longing had been complete with an equal mixture of love and desire, her need was now lacking. This time, she was filled only with lust. The realization shook her and before she could respond, Jason pulled her to him.

"So, what should we do today?" Robin's question was met with a blank gaze that didn't deter her. She chirped on. "I brought over a photo album that may jog your memory. Or maybe we could go for a walk. We won't go too far, of course. You're still recovering and we wouldn't want to..."

Her words, voice, and constant chatter were drowned out. In Stone's mind, he heard and saw Keesha. Her morning visit created new feelings inside of him. He was not happy when she mentioned Jason and even now, he frowned when he thought of her with the other man. His chest felt tight and involuntarily, his hands flexed at his side, balling into fists.

"Stone," Robin asked, "what is it?" Her small hand closed over his fist.

Her touch broke into his thoughts. He jerked her hand from his and stood up just as quickly. Shoving his hands into his jeans' front pockets, he moved to the terrace. Irritation, a feeling he associated with Robin, swept through him as he heard her follow him. He closed his eyes and wished that she kept her hands to herself this time.

"I-I know that this is difficult for you," she began, "and I don't want to push you. We can go as slowly as you want. Just tell me what you want, and I'll do it."

Stone wasted no time in voicing what he wanted. "Go. Leave me alone."

Robin was slow, as if she had been stunned into silence. "I'm sorry if I've upset you. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

"I want you to go away," he repeated again. His voice was soft and clear. Feeling no remorse, he turned his gaze from the skyline to look down into her pleading brown eyes. He saw that her eyes were the same color as Keesha's, but the excitement and comfort he felt whenever he looked at Keesha was absent when he looked at Robin.

The smaller woman's bottom lip trembled as he accessed her, mentally compared her to Keesha, and found her lacking. Water glistened in her eyes and he knew that she was sad. As she continued to stare at him, he sensed that she wanted him to take her sadness away. With that realization, he became angry with her. "Go, Robin," he bit out. "Leave me alone!"

He brushed past her and would have escaped to the solace of his room, but a voice that carried from the kitchen doorway stopped him. "Stone, she just wants to hel-"

Stone cut Sonny of before the older man could go any further. "NO!" he shouted. "I don't want her help. I want her to go."

"But Stone-"

"No, Sonny," Robin said, her voice quiet and scratchy. "He's just tired and upset. I'm not helping, so I'll go."

She went to the sofa and began to gather her things. Sonny went to her and helped her. He whispered to her and hugged her. Stone turned away from them and raced up the staircase. The bedroom door slammed behind him, and he flung himself across the bed. Grabbing one of the king-size pillows, he hugged the softness to his chest. As he closed his eyes and drifted to sleep, he imagined that he held Keesha and that she was explaining to him all the things that Robin could not.

A cold December breeze chilled Dawn to the bone. She drew her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs. When her shift ended hours ago, she went upstairs to the roof, looking for peace and understanding. So far, she found neither. Jack Hanson's death left her with a feeling of emptiness, and she didn't know what to do. Even making the decision to go back inside the hospital was too difficult for her, so despite the cold temperature, she stayed where she was.

Her brown eyes stared across the Port Charles sky. She didn't see the vibrant blue sky or the soft, fluffy clouds. Nor did she see the few remaining birds circling overheard or hear the cries or the sounds of traffic down below. The young intern's mind had gone inward where the sights and sounds were those from a long time ago.

She was six-years-old again. Softly, she hummed the Madonna tune, "Like A Virgin" as she grabbed her favorite Barbie doll. Outside, the basketball thumped on the concrete floor of the carport. Derek and Frank were outside, practicing lay-ups. Bored, as she often was, Dawn headed for the backdoor intent upon joining them.

The screen door slammed shut behind her and the aroma of her mother's famous meatloaf followed her outside. Confident that her mother couldn't hear her, the little girt began to belt out the Madonna song. She had been lectured about singing the song that was meant for grown-ups before, but she couldn't resist the urge to sing anyway.

The rhythmic pounding of the basketball stopped as she hopped from the bottom step onto the concrete. Her brother tossed the ball to Frank as he smirked at his little shadow. "Mama's gonna tear your butt up if she hears you singing that pop crap again."

"She won't hear me," Dawn replied, moving to sit on the bottom step. She grinned as Derek shook his finger at her.

"Pipsqueak, you're singing on borrowed time," he teased. Frank threw him the ball and he caught it. He tossed the ball into the hoop without any effort at all.

"Nothing but net, " Dawn cheered. Her Barbie doll bounced in her lap, cheering on Derek's skills, too.

"What do you know about net?" Frank asked her, dribbling the ball with his right hand. A teasing smile played around his lips as he added, "Barbie doesn't ball."

Dawn shrugged, but her eyes sparkled with admiration. Next to her brother, Frank was the apple of her young eyes. Her parents divorced when she was two, and Derek, Frank and Joe willingly filled the void that was left when her father moved to Saudi Arabia. She couldn't imagine a life without her three heroes; however, what transpired in the next few minutes would change her life forever.

Between teasing his younger sister and playing ball with his best friend, Derek was having the time of his life. When the basketball slipped from his hand and rolled into the street, he didn't think twice about going after it. The screech of tires followed by the thud of Derek's body as he flipped over the car and landed on the street abruptly ended the calm, routine of the evening.

Dawn's screams echoed through the Jensen brownstone. The little girt threw her doll down as her legs raced to her brother's side. Through a haze of tears, she saw Derek's battered body. His eyes were opened and looked straight at her. Dimly, she was aware of his words to Frank, "Take care of her, man. Get her out of here. Please..."

Despite her struggle, she was no match for Frank He wrapped her up within the cocoon of his arms. As her mother and sister flew past them and an ambulance's siren screeched in the distance, Frank pressed her head to his chest. Holding her tightly, he cried with her and promised her that he would always take care of her.

"That's right," the familiar voice murmured against her ear. "Let it all out."

Brought back to the present, Dawn began to shake with tears. Frank's hands moved from stroking her back to pulling her within the circle of his arms. His fingers became tangled in her hair as he pressed her head inside the curve of his neck. She clutched his arms and held onto him for dear life. "I could see Derek... lying there..."

"I know," Frank said softly, rocking her back and forth.

"I saw the car coming. I sh-should have warned h-him..."

"Ssh..." he cooed. "You couldn't have warned him. It happened too fast."

"B-but..."

"You were only six," he reminded her. "The accident wasn't your fault."

Still crying, she said, "Tonight was my fault. I should have saved that little boy. He was too little to die."

'"You're a doctor, little one," he said, releasing his embrace to look down into her watery brown eyes. He cupped her face within his warm palms. His thumbs gently stroked her tears from her cheeks. "But you're not God. It was the little boy's time to go. You did everything you could to save him. Don't blame yourself for something that's not within your power."

"But it's not fair!" she blurted out. Fresh tears streamed down her face.

"Nothing in life ever is," he reminded her not unkindly.

Dawn pulled way from him and began to dry her eyes. ''Well, I don't want to be a doctor anymore.''

"What?" he asked. "So, you're a quitter now. I'm sure Derek would be so proud."

"Shut up, Frank," she muttered, sniffling as she continued to wipe at her tears with the back of her hands.

Frank pulled her hands from her face. He brushed away her tears with tenderness and care. His blue eyes stared intently into her brown eyes. "You're a healer, Dawn. You can't turn your back on that just because someone died. It's gonna happen. You can't save them all."

Unconvinced, she mumbled, "Then what's the point? I want to save lives, not watch them die. And if I remember Derek's accident every time... Frank, it still hurts so much... It doesn't stop."

"Oh, baby, I know," he whispered. He lowered his head and gently kissed her cheek. His hands still held her face and Dawn closed her hands over his. "I wish I knew how to make the hurt go away."

"Me, too," she whispered. The look in his eyes warmed her. She always felt safe in his arms, but as the seconds passed and neither moved she began to feel something more.

Awareness crackled between them. They were drawn closer together until only a wisp of space separated them. Then nothing separated them as their lips joined together in a kiss.