A soft knock came onto the door as Jessica slowly eased open the door to Chad's room. "Chad, are you up?" She walked inside to see Chad laying on the bed on his stomach, still wearing the clothes from the night before. "It's 10 a.m. Chad. My Mom was worried since you haven't been down yet. Are you all right?"
Chad groaned and rolled over looking at Jessica, then wiping his hands over his face. "What time is it again?" he asked, while yawning.

"10 a.m. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just-" Chad sat up and sighed, "Do I owe you money?"

"Not until next week." Jessica said, sitting down a tray on the nearby table, "My Mom wanted me to bring you up some coffee and a little something to eat."

"Thanks, but I'm not real hungry." Chad stood up and walked across the room to the window and looked outside, "It snowed. Great. Just what I need. Cold weather," he said sarcastically.

"I guess since you grew up in LA all those years, you're still not to use to the seasons. Some people around here really like this stuff though."

"Yeah, some people." Chad said quietly. He turned around and looked at Jessica who was obviously uncomfortable, "Tell your Mom thanks for me 'k? I'll actually eat it, okay?"

"All right. You won't regret it. This food is great," she said, walking toward the door, "I'll see you later."

"Bye, Jess." Chad said as he took a drink of the coffee and went back and gave the snow filled ground one last glemse before showering in nice warm water.
 

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Noah walked down the stairs and see Whitney putting on her coat. "Whoa, hey, where you going?"

"Outside. Haven't you looked? It snowed last night." Whitney said, smiling.

"You know, most people get depressed when it gets cold, but you," Noah laughed, "you get happy."

"I can't help it. I absolutely love the winter time, with snow on the ground. I love it."

"Well, it's a very known fact to everyone that you love this weather. But it is a bit cold out, so why don't you just take it easy."

"I needed to get up and moving. Besides aren't you going to see Kay?" Whitney asked.

"As soon as I get some coffee cause God knows I'm going to need it." Noah said, walking into the small kitchen, followed by Whitney. "You know, I just can't believe that Kay lied to me. I told her to stay away from Nikolas and that he was bad news. We have always had this great relationship, so what happened?"

"Kay's always been really rebellious. I'm sure this is just a thing she'll get over." Whitney said, as Noah poured himself a cup of coffee, "Like I'll get over the fact that you didn't tell me the entire truth about Livvie."

Noah stared into his glass and took a drink, "What do you mean?"

"Well, last night, she referred to Nikolas as her brother. So that would make her Julian and Ivy's other daughter," she said, as Noah looked up at her. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"You've just been through a lot with that family lately and I didn't want to make you think that they were somehow entering out lives."

"Oh? You mean, like you dreaming about Livvie Crane -- I'm assuming you knew who she was when you had that dream."

"Whitney, what are you implying?" Noah asked.

Whitney sighed, "All the time, I get people like Simone and Theresa constantly saying things to me about why I married you so fast. They all think that it's because I'm pregnant with your baby, but I can't -- I don't want them to think that way. I want them to think we got married because we love each other, because we do. Don't we?"

"Whitney, you know I love you," Noah sighed, "The way you love me."

Whitney looked away and put on her gloves, "I love you, Noah. Only you." Whitney walked over the table and picked up a pile of letters, "Here's the mail. It was with the paper this morning," she said, changing the subject.

Noah flipped through the letters and found one and looked at it with suspicion. "What's wrong?" Whitney asked.

"This. It's from the Cranes." Noah said, opening it up.

"What would they be sending something to you for?" Whitney asked looking over his shoulder.

"I don't know." Noah pulled out the letter. "Great. It looks like an invitation."

"Oh, throw it away." Whitney said, walking away, "Their parties always end in disaster -- believe me."

Noah opened it up to read it and let out a soft chuckle, "Ivy is throwing some Charity event on Raven Hill. Does she really think I'll go to any event she's hosting? After everything she did to try and break up my parents."
 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 

"Alexis, hi. It's nice to see you. Come on in." Eve said, as Alexis walked inside Eve's penthouse, briefcase in hand.

"Good morning. How are things going?" Alexis asked.

"As well as can be expected. What's going on?" Eve immediately caught up on Alexis's attitude, "Did something happen?"

"My friend that's in town also, well, he's here with another person I know from Port Charles and they were at your son's club opening last night."

"Oh, I hope it went well. Didn't it?" Eve asked, worried.

"He mentioned some sort of triple family feud." Alexis said, unknowingly of what it meant.

"Oh, no." Eve sighed, "Who was there?"

"Your daughters."

"Both of them? Even Whitney?"

"Yes, she went there with her husband. Apparently he was there to get his sister." Alexis said, looking at Eve, "Is something wrong, Eve?"

"It's just, Chad and Whitney together. They haven't for months."

"There's something more to this than you and everyone else is letting on. If you want me to help you, Eve, I've got to know everything."

"This doesn't have anything to do with me. It's between my son and my daughter." Eve sighed, "But maybe I should tell you." Eve sighed again and walked over to the couch where Alexis sat down next to her.

"I know your daughters knew Chad before they found out he was their brother and that it was a shock, since he's also the son of one of the wealthiest men in the world, but there is something else."

"There was more going on between Chad and Whitney than just 'knowing each other'." Eve looked down at her hands in her lap, "God, it's all my fault. If I'd only noticed all of the signs. The evidence. If I had only been honest in the beginning, then - then-"

"Then what, Eve?" Alexis asked, Eve looking back up at her.

"Then they wouldn't have fallen in love."
 

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"You have 2 new messages" Nelly slipped on her high heels as she listened to the messages from her machine in Boston. Her editor's voice boomed through the receiving end.

"Listen to me, Miss Nelly Watson. I don't give a damn how good you are! I want you back in this office by Monday afternoon. Or else you can start looking for a new job where ever the hell you landed."

" golly ," she muttered hearing the beep followed by her mothers agonizing voice.

"Nelly Watson!"

Why does everyone feel they have to call me by my full name?

"When are you going to call me and your father back? How in the world could you do that to us at dinner the other night? My God, Nelly didn't we teach you manners and respect for others? And can you imagine the embarrassment I felt." Michelle sighed that disappointed sigh and continued, "Well, you know, darling, you can make it up to us next week."

Why would I want to make something up to you I don't regret?

"You won't believe what we got in the mail today. An invitation to a charity-"

What else is new?

"-at the Crane mansion! To think we were just there a few days ago. Oh, you will have to come whether you're back in Boston or not. And whether you like it or not. The family requested you especially, so you must attend and not cause an uproar like you did last time."

Isnt' there a time limit on answering machines?

Nelly hung up her phone and grabbed her purse heading toward the door. She swung in open and gasped in surprise,

"Chad."

"Hey, Nel." Chad said, walking in past her without waiting for an invitation, "Hope you weren't going anywhere important."

"No." she closed the door and turned around only to have Chad's lips close against hers. The kiss was long and hard. Chad finally pulled away leaving his hands cupping her face as Nelly fluttered her eyes in confusion.

"Hey, don't look so surprised." Chad said, smoothly tucking a piece of her loose hair out of her face. "You know, I just can't stop thinking about you," he leaned close to her ear, "and making love to you in that bed." Chad's lips were just a fraction of an inch away for her ear with his breath hitting her in just the right spot making her have to start breathing slower so not to lose consciousness. He pulled his head back and looked at her.

"So I wasn't the only one that couldn't forget about that night, huh?" Nelly said, still trying to catch her breath. "Not a second of it." Chad said, pulling Nelly tightly against him as their lips met once again. This time Nelly was more of a participant in the mouth exercises.

The kiss grew stronger and more heated as Chad urged Nelly toward the bed. Having been moved up the very end of the bed, Nelly lost her balance a fell sitting on the bed only to look up at Chad as he started to unbutton his shirt never taking his eyes off her own, though her own eyes were fixated on each button that came loose from it's confines of the fabric.

"Oh, God." Nelly said, as Chad's shirt went to the floor and he bent down to kiss the junction of Nelly's neck and shoulder and her eyes fluttered shut....for a brief moment.

"Oh, my God." Nelly said sitting up in her bed wearing the same clothes with the same high heels, but no Chad. "Damn, what is wrong with you?" Having heated dreams about a man that has only kissed you once - when he wasn't drunk. A kiss he hasn't even mentioned. Not everything was a dream though. She had gotten the phone calls about her necessity to be back at work and the charity event at the Crane Mansion which she would have to figure out how to get out of later.

Until then, Nelly got up and grabbed her purse, for real this time and opened the door only to shut it quickly and putting her back to it. After a moment she opened it slightly and peeked out.

"It's not the head honcho queen, I promise," the voice said, calmly.

"Chad."
 

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The maid answered the door as Roxy appeared outside. "Hey, what's up? Julian 'round?" she asked, walking inside before the maid could gasp. She brushed the fresh snowflakes off her fuzzy purple coat snd undid her scarf as Julian appeared from the hallway.

"Ah, Roxy," Julian said happily then turning his attention to the maid, "Oh, what are you waiting for? Take her coat," he said, hatefully to the maid making her shout out apologies to both Julian and Roxy.

"Dang, Jules. Clam down."

"I'm -- I'm sorry," he said quietly for maid not to hear him apologize to someone, "It's just, when you called and said you wanted to talk to me about Chad, I got a little jumpy so I drank a little miracle juice. I think I fired the cook."

"Oh, well, go hire them back. I didn't have breakfast." Roxy joked.

"What's going on with Chad? Did everything go all right at the club opening?" he asked, ignoring her move for a humor.

"Define 'all right'." she said, as Julian let out a frustrated sigh, "The actually business part of the club was very successful. But these kids showed up together on a date apparently and then the girls brother and then HIS wife, who apparently has something going on with Chad or use to."

"Did you get any names, Roxy?" Julian asked calmly, but frustrated.

"You're lucky I'm a quick act when my sister-the-reporter buckles under pressure. The main dudes name was Noah. Now, I never caught his sister's or the dude she was with-"

Roxy kept talking spilling all about who was who at the Club opening, but Julian already knew everything he needed with that first name. Noah. Noah Bennett His wife. Julian thought. Whitney. "Oh no." he said quietly. Seeing her must have caused Chad an enormous amount of heartache. If only the truth had been found out earlier, not one would have been hurt. No feelings would have emerged. Everything would be somewhat fine.

Roxy continued, "I'd never met any of those people there, except for Gwen Hotchkiss. And I remember she called the fight everyone was having a Crane, Russell, and Bennett feud."

"That's basically what it is. The Lopez-Fitzgerld breed use to be part of that equation, but after Sheridan married into that family, it sort of halted all problems our families had together."

"Sort of like a truce." Roxy said.

"Yeah, basically. As the for the others." Julian stopped and looked around the room and back at Roxy, "I need you to promise you won't tell anyone this. I need you're word."

"Wow. This must be big. All right, you want my word you name the word and you've got it." Roxy said as Julian took in a deep breath and continued.

"Well, the brother was Noah Bennett, Sam and Grace Bennett's son and his wife is Whitney Russell. The daughter of TC and Eve Russell. Eve is Chad's mother."

"Making Chad and Whitney half-siblings. That explains a lot. Except-" Roxy trailed off and took a few steps forward with her hands on her hips thinking, "What's with tension between Chad and Whitney?"

Could Julian really trust this girl to tell her a secret that could destroy many peoples lives all over again? He did need her help with Chad, "I need you to swear to me, Roxy. I mean it. You can never repeat this to anyone else. Not even your sister."

"If it's something that can hurt her because Chad did something or-" she said, shaking her head.

"No, no. It's nothing that can hurt her, but it is something that can cause Chad a lot of hurt all over again if it's brought up to him." Nelly showed an uncertain look.

"All right. I promise, Julian. I won't tell a soul."

"Before we all found out Chad was my son with Eve Russell, he was involved living in Harmony as just a regular town citizen. He interacted with people who didn't look at him like he feels like people look at him now. Even though no one outside these 4 family's know, he still feels like an outsider now, walking around town. Anyway, he met a woman and he feel in love with her." Julian stopped for a moment, unsure if he could say what he was about to.

"She found out? He was your son and left him? I know your not a very popular person in this town."

"I can honestly say it was more of who the mother was that destroyed the relationship." Julian said as Roxy's mouth dropped and her eyes widened. Damn Julian, she wasn't kidding when she said she was quick.

"You mean-"

"Chad feel in love with Whitney Russell."

Roxy looked away from Julian, her face still stuck in it's shocked expression, "It all makes sense. The tension between them last night. The shocked look on the face of Noah's sister. She knows." Roxy said, looking back at Julian.

"They all do. The Bennett's, Russell's, Lopez-Fitzgerald's, some of the Crane's. Can't be too sure of who you can trust in this family."

"So it's just like huge elephant in the corner that everyone knows it's there, they just don't want to talk about it." Roxy said.

"Yeah-" Before Julian could get his sentence out the front door flew open and men carrying boxes, tables, and chairs walked right back Julian and Roxy as if they weren't even there.

"What in the hell?" Julian said, as the men opened the door to the closed off living room, as he and Roxy followed them inside. Julian's mouth dropped as Roxy looked around at all of the decorations like a curious little kid. He stared across the room at Ivy who was opening one of the boxes and looking through them. "Have you forgotten that you don't live here? I know you can be a little slow on the uptake, but for God's sake, Ivy, I tell you ever damned day."

"Good morning to you too, Julian." Ivy smirked.

"What are you doing? What is all of this?"

"It's for the charity event that's going to be held here a week from today." Ivy said, knowing Julian was going to comeback for more.

"What the hell are you calling it? Ivy's party at Julian's."

"Now why would I put you're name in the title when you haven't done a thing to help?" Ivy's joked. Oh, how she loved pushing his buttons.

"Aren't you supposed to know about good manners and grace and that it's rude to throw a party at someone else's home?"

"Lessons on good manners and grace coming from a man who has had more affairs during the course of our marriage than the hairs on my head?" Ivy let out a light laugh angering Julian even more. "You are not throwing an event in this house. Do you understand me?" Julian said, toughly.

"Oh, but all the invitation were already sent out. Sorry, oh and don't worry, you can come. I guess."

"It's my house!" Julian yelled.

"Don't get so fussy. You might actually like the invite list." Ivy smiled slyly.

"Who? For God's sake, woman, who did you invite to this shandle you're throwing in my house?"

"Well, the children, Sheridan and Luis of course, Ethan and Theresa, I mean, Ethan is a very well known lawyer in this town now, so he could use the publicity. As could his partner and brother, Noah." Ivy smiled as Julian's mouth opened again and his blood began to boil.

"Oh, and it would be just oh so rude of me to invite a man and not his wife, in this case being, Whitney. Also, the Chief of Police must make an entrance with his wife. And also, there's your one and only Dr. Russell. She's just such an honored citizen on this community, she just had to know her presence was wanted."

"You are such a bitch." Julian said calmly, but angrily.

"Why thank you." Julian turned to leave with Roxy with him before Ivy started again, "By the way, I heard that Chad's club opening was very successful last night so I thought it would be wonderful publicity for the club for Gwen to make an entrance. But of course, if Gwen came, so does Chad."

"You didn't."

"Oh, Julian. Don't be so upset. You've been wanting to connect with your long-lost son, so I thought I'd just help things along and invite him to his first Crane function. You know, as a known Crane. Privately."

"Who the hell do you think you are?" Roxy yelled angrily. "God, how pathetic you are that you have to come back to a place where you're not wanted and cause trouble just because you need a new therapist."

"I don't know how Chad would feel about you and your bed hoping tales doing a flashback on new young woman."

"You don't know anything, Ivy." Julian said, taking Roxy's arm and guiding her back out to the entryway.

"I can't believe that woman," Roxy said angrily then stopping stiff, "she just called me a whore," she turned to get back into the living room to teach Ivy a few of Roxy's own manners.

"Forget about her. She's a waste of time and energy except, now that I think about it, I think she might have helped me without even knowing it. Listen, I need you to come to this charity event next week. And I also need Chad to come. It might be my last ticket to having him in my life, so I'm going to take it."

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Far away from Harmony a man sat at his desk, his eyes fixated on one of the many television screens in front of him. He sat back in his chair and let out a sinister laugh, "Well, it seems Ivy's party won't be something to miss."