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Be Honest To Your Heart
General Hospital
Summary: Michael and Willow's reaction to finding out the cheating was a set up. How will it change things between them also what does it mean for them between each of them and their exes?
Pairings: Millow, MiSha, Chillow
Author's Note: Please be kind, even if your pairing doesn't end up together.
Disclaimer: I own nothing mentioned in this story.
Things had changed drastically over the last week or so in their lives. The first big, frankly wonderful change in their lives had been she and Michael had finally made love. It happened a little spontaneously, prompted by the arrival of the annulment papers from Diane's office much sooner than either had expected.
They'd both wanted the process to take a long time. They wanted it to drag on for a while as things between them were changing. This thing that had begun as a marriage of necessity to save their son from Nelle had slowly transformed into something more real. They had insisted they were only friends for so long and that's the only feelings they had for each other but the more time they were married, the more married they began to feel for real.
So the papers sparked them to speak candidly, they talked that there was nothing that said the papers had to be filled immediately upon receiving them. They could take their time, that led them to talk about why they wanted to procrastinate which had ultimately led to them making love for the first time.
Willow had always been attracted to Michael on some level since she had eyes and could see his crooked smile as well as those sparkling eyes. Plus, he was tall and broad shoulder, with sandy blonde hair that she found she liked even better longer.
It was undeniable he was a handsome guy.
However, what truly pulled her toward him was the unspoken, deep, and strong connection they shared. It had existed for her right from the start, it was how they had begun their strong friendship in such a short time, and his friendship had meant so much to her as she dealt with so many things over the years. She had always felt close to him in a way that was natural, it was so easy to tell him things, and his mere presence could soothe her at times.
The connection had always had an element of intimacy to it that made her comfortable to share with him things she could not share with other people. It was a connection that was only between the two of them. Whatever the connection was, she only felt it with Michael, no one else, not even Chase.
Sometimes, they needn't even say anything and still, she felt that connection, that pull toward him. Perhaps, it was what had made the sex so beyond incredible, it had actually been mind blowing.
Yet, they had no time to bask in it or go for another couple of rounds as they had been abruptly interrupted by Chase when he'd literally barged in on the two of them.
The mood was instantly killed by being walked in on by her ex-boyfriend, because it was awkward that he'd walked in on them about to have sex but it was also weird that Chase had barged in the room inside their house at all.
However, that awkwardness was suddenly overshadowed when they got a call that Sasha was in the hospital. When they'd arrived in the main lobby, they learned she'd had a heart attack from an overdose, likely cocaine.
As Sasha lay unconscious in the hospital bed, all three of them had beat themselves up for not noticing she'd started using drugs. Michael had really beat himself up for cutting her out his life after the affair, and she had beaten herself up for getting in the way of Sasha and Michael having a chance to fix their relationship; for them to possibly reunite then she'd have had no reason to escape into drugs.
This had sparked Chase to suddenly tell her that Sasha wouldn't have taken Michael back, that wasn't the point of what they'd done. He told her that they hadn't actually slept together but she as well as Michael were supposed to think they had so they would feel free to marry. So they'd be able to win against Nelle in the custody battle.
Willow had been confused and angry. She hadn't really known what tot think or say to Chase so she basically fled back to Michael, whom she'd found sitting at Sasha's side holding her hand, and she felt a stab if pain pierce her heart.
She knew in that moment why she'd been conflicted to hear Chase say he was still in love with her. The truth didn't change anything that happened between she and Michael, she had told Michael once if he could be okay being married to someone who loved someone else and would never love him.
Now, the words she'd have given anything to hear from Chase back then he'd just said and all she could do was run away because she no longer wanted to hear them because she no longer returned them. Yet, as it always did, time had healed her wounds, eased her pain, and changed her mind as well as her heart because she knew without a doubt that she had fallen in love with her husband.
So it scared her that just as she had been ready to make their marriage real, she was going to lose him to Sasha.
Willow quietly back out of the doorway then she slinked to a nearby bench, not knowing what to do… or feel about anything that had happened within the last twenty four hours.
Meanwhile, as Willow lay on the bench, inside the room, Michael sat in one of those mandatory uncomfortable hospital chairs at Sasha's side with a million thoughts and feelings racing through him.
For one thing, he was angry that his mother knew the truth and hadn't told him, she should've told him.
For another, he was angry at Sasha for turning to drugs instead of turning to find comfort from talking to someone… like Chase, who'd have been able to relate to her hurt since he had been going through it, too.
He was also angry at both Sasha and Chase for faking the cheating because despite their intentions, it didn't change what they'd done and that it had hurt both he and Willow.
He sighed, deeply, as he thought of Willow.
A part of Michael was conflicted because what Chase and Sasha had done had opened the door for he and Willow, one he'd wanted to open since he first met her.
Now, there was no closing the door which he, quite honestly, didn't want to close because he'd always suspected if given a chance, he and Willow could have something pretty special. Now, he knew that it was beyond special, it was something even more than he'd thought.
They'd always shared something incredibly special, a unique connection that was just theirs. It had always made it easy for them to confide in each other. They told each other things they did not feel like telling anybody else. The longer they'd known each other, the stronger it had become and the deeper it had gone.
It was more than trust or talking to each other because they were such good friends. It was more but they had never admitted it out loud. It was also different than what they shared with anyone else or more specifically, two certain other someones which they also didn't voice aloud. So they always chalked it up to strong friendship built on the many qualities and traits they admired in each other even loved about each other but insisted it was a platonic love.
Michael didn't think that could be said anymore. Also, if he were being brutally honest, he had always had feelings for Willow, had even planned on asking her out only for Chase to beat him to it. So he'd started to date Sasha, who was in no way a consolation prize, but now because of what she and Chase had done, he knew what it felt like to be with Willow.
In every way, now, too and that was better than anything he could've dreamed. It was like all of their growing feelings, the connection they had always had, and now the fact that they were ready to move forward in this thing had converged when they'd made love.
It was just one more thing, in his mind and heart, that told him that despite the circumstances that surrounded how and why they had gotten married, gotten together, now that he and Willow were it felt like that was exactly how it supposed to be… it was supposed to be the two of them.
His dilemma would be telling Sasha that regardless of why she'd done what she'd done, no matter the good intentions she and Chase had for his son, it had opened his world to a love that he didn't want to let go of… because Willow was the one for him.
-x-
When Michael finally emerged from Sasha's room in the wee hours of the morning, his heart warmed to see his wife had patiently waited for him, never intruded on his time with Sasha, and was now curled up awkwardly on the bench, sleeping as best she could.
He approached her then crouched down to her level, pushed away the hair that had fallen into her face, and that light touch was enough to wake her from what he was sure wasn't a good sleep.
"How's Sasha?" Willow asked, bleary eyed, and her voice thick with grogginess. She pulled herself upright on the bench.
"She's still asleep. The doctors say it will probably be several more hours, so I was think we should head home, how about you?" Michael asked as he stood up and held out his left hand, the one the bore his ring in a symbolic gesture, and it made her smile as she took it then placed her own ringed fingered hand in his other so he could pull her up off the bench.
It took the two about a half hour to get home, and they sneaked a peak at their baby boy who was fast asleep before Michael led Willow down to his bedroom and as she entered in front of him, she heard him close and lock the door behind them.
She turned and he gave her a slight smirk, "Just so we aren't barged in on this time."
Willow nodded and waggled a finger at him, "Good thinking… today has been quite the rollercoaster, hasn't it?"
"Yeah, highs then lows…"
"Twists and unexpected turns," She added, "Like how Chase and Sasha didn't cheat."
Michael nodded, "But they did lie… and manipulated us. While the affair was fake, the pain we felt because of it was real."
"I know but they did do it for a good cause, for our son… so he could become our son. I don't think I can ever fault them for that…"
Michael moved closer to her, "And so we would get married which we did."
Willow nodded, "We did."
"And if I am still in the honesty zone, regardless of why they lied, they can't undo it and I don't know if I would even want that because if they hadn't done it that way, I don't know if we would have gotten married which is definitely something I don't want to undo… at all. I don't know how you feel about Chase but again, in all honesty, I think I've always had feelings for you that have only grown since we got married and after making love to you, I know I'm falling hard and fast for you. I think it would be a mistake to not give us a real chance, to be a real husband and wife."
Michael got his answer by Willow pulling him closer and tighter to her body by grabbing a handful of his shirt then slowly leaning her face toward his before stopping when they were only an inch apart.
She looked up into his eyes, and when she started talking, her lips moved slightly against his as she said, "This marriage may have been started by a lie but it was never fake, neither is my happiness at this feeling I've had since Lucy pronounced us as husband and wife. After that, it got stronger every time someone called me Mrs. Willow Corinthos, and that feeling was like I'm finally who I am meant to be which is your wife, Wiley's mom… I'm Willow Quartermaine Corinthos and I don't want to be anybody else."
The two closed the last bit of space between them as their lips met in a searing, soulful kiss as she wrapped her arms around his neck and used the leverage to help as he lifted her up. He carried her over to the bed as he laid her down then broke the kiss to look at her beyond beautiful face and see the light shining in her eyes.
"Mrs. Corinthos." He whispered.
She smiled back seductively as she bit her lip then looked into his eyes, "Mr. Corinthos."
"I think that we should make this even more official." He said.
She cocked her head in question, "How so?"
"Well, up until now we've been sleeping in separate beds… I think we should start sleeping next to each other now that we're sleeping together." Michael chuckled, "God. That was lame—"
Willow laughed.
"Yeah, but it was what made it even cuter and you're right, we should be sleeping together, in every way possible, and speaking of… I think we got a bit off track." Willow said as she pulled him down to her and their lips met in a kiss before the two started to divest their clothes onto the floor and spent the rest night in bed.
In their bed.
-x-
The next day, after waking up together for the first time which made them feel even more like they're really husband and wife, the married couple decided they had two exes they had to deal with as soon as possible.
They were still wrapped up in each other's arms, her head on his bare chest, as he fiddled with the ring on her finger simply loving that it was his ring she wore. The sun was start beginning to stream into the room brightly as they had already opened the curtains with the universal remote that controlled much in the room.
Michael's phone beeped on his side table and he twisted around to pick it up without making Willow move from her comfortable spot, "It's the hospital. Sasha is awake."
Willow nodded, "How do you want to do this… do you want me to go with you?"
"No, I think we should divide and conquer. Why don't you meet Chase while I go see Sasha then we'll meet up then I want to take you to my Uncle Jason and Sam's building, there is an empty penthouse apartment across the hall from them which they own but don't use so I want you to take a look at it because if we're going to make this a real marriage, I think we should live on our own."
Willow smiled brightly, "I think that sounds great! Okay, let's go and do this…"
-x-
Michael rapped his knuckles on her hospital room door, it was a jar so he popped his head inside, and Sasha's face instantly lit up at seeing him. It made his heart twist with guilt already, "Are you up for a visit?"
"From you, always." She said cheerfully, she sat up straighter in her bed, and smoothed down her hair, "I must look like a mess."
Michael sat down in the chair next to the bed, "Well, you're conscious and alert which is a hell of a lot better than you looked last night."
Sasha nodded, her eyes cast down, "I know but I didn't take that much… Chase was here earlier and he said the formula had a component that basically makes your heart explode but I swear, I haven't got a serious problem—"
Michael's eyes popped out of his head, "You're doing cocaine, that's a serious problem, Sasha! Why were you doing it at all? Was it because of us?"
Sasha nodded, "That was a part of it, another was that it gave me the energy to do my first photoshoot at Deception, and I just need an escape once, and a while after everything I've been through so much… speaking of, Chase told me that you know the truth."
Michael nodded, "Actually my mom told me, I was beating myself up because I felt responsible for cutting you out of my life after the affair and that's when my mother told me the truth, about what you'd done and why…"
Sasha smiled. "I wanted you to have Wiley and knew that Willow was the best way to get custody. I didn't want to hurt you or Willow and I am glad you understand… I did it because I love you so much Michael," Sasha laughed out in disbelief, "God, it feels so good to tell you that, again, and have you here with me."
Michael shook his head, "Sasha, please, don't—"
Sasha looked startled at his sharp and ominous tone, "Oh no, Chase was right about the other thing he told me… your marriage to Willow is real, now, isn't it?"
He nodded, "Yeah, it is, and we intend to stay married, we talked about all of this last night. We know that you and Chase did something, in a way, noble, but the point was for Willow and I to get married and we did. Now, we realize that we don't want to end our marriage because… we've fallen in love, we're happy, and we love being husband and wife. I'm so sorry if this hurts you, Sasha."
Sasha's eyes filled with tears, she looked up at the ceiling to blink them away but it was an effort in futility, "I guess I knew. I mean, it's obvious to anyone who is in the same room as the two of you just how happy you are together. I guess, I just wish that… it could be me that makes you that happy and have a a future as your wife because I do still love you, Michael, I never stopped. So of course, I always had hope then when I found out you sat with me all last night, I just thought maybe—"
Michael scooted closer and grabbed her hand, the one that bore his wedding ring, and Sasha stared down at it, then he said, "I sat with you all night because I do still love you, I was scared out of mind seeing you like that, and that's the other reason I came here— I am ready to help you get into a program, right away, and it would be at no cost to you, it'll be the best facility."
Sasha wrenched her hand out of his, "I have had a few lines of coke when I needed a pick me up but I don't have some serious problem, I don't need you to save me, Michael, as some consolation because you don't love me the way I want you to… so please, just leave. Michael, go home to your wife." Sasha said bitterly.
He stood up but didn't move right away, "I think you know you need help even if you won't admit it but if you aren't willing to help yourself, you're right, I should go home to my wife, I am sorry that it all turned out like this for you because I didn't ever want you to get hurt because of me. I will always be your friend, so if you are ever ready to accept help or even if not from me but someone, please do so, Sasha. Things are so much better when you tell the truth."
Then he collected his coat and slowly slipped his arms through it as he walked out of her room.
Once he was gone, Sasha chewed over what he'd said, and she realized she did want to talk to someone, she picked up the room phone and a note with a number she dialed, it rang twice before he answered, "Hello?"
"Brando? It's Sasha… would you possibly be able to come visit me? I need a friend to talk to and I only want to talk to you."
-x-
Willow waited at one of the tables in Charles. It was lunch so it was pretty busy but she had managed to snag a table. She had ordered a lemonade and a basket of fries as she waited for Chase. He was running late but it was something she'd grown used to when they were dating as she learned a cop's hours weren't exact.
Still, he was earlier than she expected as he rolled in just as her fries were being placed on the table. Chase smiled, "Started without me."
"Well, I never know how long you'll make me wait depending on what your case load is like plus I didn't get a chance to eat breakfast. Grandma Monica took Wiley this morning and Sasha is awake so Michael went to the hospital to see her. So I had to get ready to meet you and I have been a little sluggish, today. Slept at the hospital most of the night."
Chase put his coat on the back of his chair as he sat down and the waitress looked down at him expectantly, "Do you know what you want?""
"What she's having looks good but add a cheeseburger, please, extra pickles."
She nodded as she walked away.
An awkward silence fell over them. The two were clearly uncomfortable, neither knowing where to start.
Finally, Willow summed up enough courage and did it as gently as she could, she'd purposely left her gloves on. She lifted her left hand and pulled off her brown leather glove slowly, making a point of it then quickly pulled off her right glove.
The ring on her finger shined even in the dimmed lights of the bar, the blue of the sapphire always striking. Chase's eyes were glued to it as Willow gaged his reaction and if she'd done this the right way.
After a moment of silence, he looked up at her and nodded, "So I'm guessing that isn't a good sign for me or us."
Willow sighed, "Chase, when I first married Michael, I could not imagine ever loving anyone but you because I really did love you so much. However, I was speaking out of anger and denial. The longer I got from all of that, all the while not realizing that I was falling for Michael. If this had been six months ago, I would be able to tell you what you want me to say but I can't because I don't feel that way anymore, I love my husband, we're happy married and we're going to stay married. I'm sorry if this hurts you because that's the last thing I want."
Chase wasn't allowed to say anything as his food arrived but he just sat there looking at it.
"I don't have much of an appetite anymore. Willow, I want you to know that I am happy that you're happy. Maybe this is how it was all meant to be since that ring looks like it's exactly where it belongs, so have a good day, and tell your husband I said hi, see you later Willow Corinthos."
Then he grabbed his coat and made a quick exit, leaving Willow there with their untouched food.
-x-
Seven months later, Willow and Michael were settled into their new home right across the hall from Jason and Sam. It was nice to have family so close and she had developed a girl's night at her house with a bunch of her new family.
It was once a month, Sam, Carly, Kristina, Joss, and Molly all came over to watch movies, eat junk food and drink wine.
Michael and Willow moved in almost three months ago. The Quartermaines had been really disappointed when they announced their intention to move out but they understood that the young couple wanted to start their own life.
Willow had begun her nurse training program with an accelerated schoolwork aspect to it and Michael had been nothing but supportive when she told him of her plans as well as her desire to work in pediatrics.
Michael said he knew a few people who could pull some strings to get her into Peds or the NICU since they had finally managed to push Cyrus Renault out of town. Willow knew that had been mainly Sonny and Jason's doing as the explosion at the Floating Rib had done the one thing she learned made them even more lethal, he made them angry and determined.
So after they'd found a man named Julian Jerome when he was trying to flee the country, they brought him to the police where he confessed to everything, including being the one who'd kidnapped her baby boy after the custody battle and delivered him to Nelle.
So to say that she hated the man even more than when he'd married Nelle, which everyone knew now was due to him trying to cover up the fact that he'd been Brad's accomplice, it would be an understatement.
All of the info he provided on Cyrus plus the toxic screen on Sasha as well as some of the product she still had left that he'd give her, had sent him to federal prison for quite a long time, and Julian Jerome joined him, having been given life without parole.
However, only a few months into his sentence, he hung himself or that was the official story but Willow had a feeling that Sonny had made that happen; she found that she didn't have any big problems with being the daughter in law of a mobster.
She didn't have a problem living across the hall from his enforcer in a high-rise that had the most sophisticated security system given the fact that only two families lived there. Willow didn't know why but despite what they did, Willow could tell that both men were good people with what must be amazing traits as Michael credited them the most with how he turned out.
As if her mere thought had summoned him, Michael walked through the door. "Hey, baby."
"Hey to you, too." Willow smiled.
Michael walked closer to where she sat sprawled out on the couch, and kneeled down, "Oh, hey to you too but I was saying hi to you, baby, Daddy's home from work."
Willow shook his head. She was about three months pregnant and Michael had turned into a total goofball. She could already tell he was going to one those dads that told those embarrassing jokes.
Then he put his hand on her slightly protruding stomach, "And how's her mommy, doing?"
"Going blind on some of these technical terms. I have a whole new appreciation for nurses but I think I am going to ace the test then I can start my training right before I have to go on maternity leave."
Michael stood up and sat on their coffee table as he started to undo the knot of his tie, once that was loose enough, he shrugged off his suit jacket, "Oh, and I already told Sam and Jax that I am going to take paternity leave especially since I can do a lot of my work from home and when I must be at the meetings, I will but I want to be here to help as much as possible."
Willow smiled, "Sounds like a plan. So guess who I ran into today?"
Michael raised his eyebrow, "Who?"
"Chase and Maxie, they were looking pretty cozy, too. I talked to them for a while…I am still sorry that she lost her baby. I can't imagine that," She said as she rubbed her belly, "But I am glad she has Chase, they looked really happy, and considering her last guy, Chase is seriously an improvement." Willow said.
Chase and she had settled into a casual friendship especially once he started seeing Maxie after her fiancé was outed as a huge international criminal. He'd been a part of the arresting team, and helped Maxie through some of the complexities of what was happening but even though, she had a healthy pregnancy, her baby was born stillborn. That had brought she and Chase even closer; the two were getting quite serious.
"And as Maxie told me today, she just has a thing for cops." Willow giggled again at that and Michael chuckled.
"Well, I am glad that Chase is doing well. I hope we can eventually get our friendship back, but I think it's still awkward., for both of us but at least he's happy. He deserves it. I just wish Sasha was doing even a little well." Michael sighed.
After her heart attack, she'd initially did a good job on her recovery but then had gone back to her old habits. Sasha had decided that nothing was left for her in Port Charles so she moved away to Los Angeles, to get her modeling career going, and they hadn't heart much of her since.
"We offered her help but you can't help someone who doesn't want it." Willow said as she reached out her hand to her husband's, he took it, and held it casually between them.
The two gave Sasha a moment of good wishes before getting back to their life which had been a knock on the door.
Michael stood up and opened to reveal Danny, holding a box of pizza and breadsticks plus a bag of what looked like those cinnamon twists.
"Danny, thanks so much, buddy. Please, why don't you put it in the kitchen, and Michael can help you get out plates and dish out the slices while I go grab Wiley, he's wanted to watch this movie for so long."
The three of them went about their respective tasks and half an hour later, were seated in front of their television, sound system turned on, and as they all dug into their pizza, the soundtrack kicked in as the words began to scroll across the screen.
"A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…"
The End