diff --git a/lib/get/getCache.js b/lib/get/getCache.js
index 450469c7..7e566a30 100644
--- a/lib/get/getCache.js
+++ b/lib/get/getCache.js
@@ -18,7 +18,13 @@ function _copyCache(node, out, fromKey) {
     Object.
         keys(node).
         filter(function(k) {
-            return !isInternalKey(k);
+            // Its not an internal key and the node has a value.  In the cache
+            // there are 3 possibilities for values.
+            // 1: A branch node.
+            // 2: A $type-value node.
+            // 3: undefined
+            // We will strip out 3
+            return !isInternalKey(k) && node[k];
         }).
         forEach(function(key) {
             var cacheNext = node[key];
diff --git a/lib/get/getValueSync.js b/lib/get/getValueSync.js
index 04d8a4f2..aefbffb3 100644
--- a/lib/get/getValueSync.js
+++ b/lib/get/getValueSync.js
@@ -31,9 +31,10 @@ module.exports = function getValueSync(model, simplePath, noClone) {
 
         type = next.$type;
 
-        // Up to the last key we follow references
+        // Up to the last key we follow references, ensure that they are not
+        // expired either.
         if (depth < len) {
-            if (type === $ref) {
+            if (type === $ref && !isExpired(next)) {
                 ref = followReference(model, root, root, next, next.value);
                 refNode = ref[0];
 
diff --git a/test/falcor/bind/bind-cases.spec.js b/test/falcor/bind/bind-cases.spec.js
index 4f05b2f7..1301ed59 100644
--- a/test/falcor/bind/bind-cases.spec.js
+++ b/test/falcor/bind/bind-cases.spec.js
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ var Bound = Expected.Bound;
 var noOp = function() {};
 var chai = require("chai");
 var expect = chai.expect;
+var ref = Model.ref;
+var atom = Model.atom;
 
 describe('Deref', function() {
     it('should deref to a branch node.', function(done) {
@@ -70,6 +72,26 @@ describe('Deref', function() {
             }).
             subscribe(noOp, done, done);
     });
+
+    it('should not be able to get an item out of the core that is expired, but previously hard-linked.', function() {
+        // hardlinks
+        var model = new Model({
+            cache: {
+                lolomo: ref(['lolomos', 'abc'], {$expires: Date.now() + 1000}),
+                lolomos: {
+                    abc: {
+                        0: atom('foo')
+                    }
+                }
+            }
+        });
+
+        // expires the hardlinked item.
+        model._root.cache.lolomo.$expires = Date.now() - 10;
+        var out = model._getValueSync(model, ['lolomo', 0]);
+
+        expect(out.value).to.equals(undefined);
+    });
 });
 
 function getCache() {
diff --git a/test/falcor/get/index.js b/test/falcor/get/index.js
index 12edc554..12f88620 100644
--- a/test/falcor/get/index.js
+++ b/test/falcor/get/index.js
@@ -5,7 +5,6 @@ describe('Get', function() {
     require('./get.dataSource-and-bind.spec');
     require('./get.cacheAsDataSource.spec');
     require('./get.pathSyntax.spec');
-    require('./get.getCache.spec');
     require('./get.clone.spec');
     require('./get.gen.spec');
 });
diff --git a/test/get-core/edges.spec.js b/test/get-core/edges.spec.js
index bd1c32eb..703cbdff 100644
--- a/test/get-core/edges.spec.js
+++ b/test/get-core/edges.spec.js
@@ -7,6 +7,7 @@ var ref = jsonGraph.ref;
 var $ref = require('./../../lib/types/ref');
 var $atom = require('./../../lib/types/atom');
 var _ = require('lodash');
+var Model = require('./../../lib').Model;
 
 describe('Edges', function() {
     // PathMap ----------------------------------------
diff --git a/test/falcor/get/get.getCache.spec.js b/test/get-core/get.cache.spec.js
similarity index 51%
rename from test/falcor/get/get.getCache.spec.js
rename to test/get-core/get.cache.spec.js
index 55564aee..3574290f 100644
--- a/test/falcor/get/get.getCache.spec.js
+++ b/test/get-core/get.cache.spec.js
@@ -1,17 +1,12 @@
-var cacheGenerator = require('./../../CacheGenerator');
-var falcor = require("./../../../lib/");
-var clean = require('./../../cleanData').clean;
+var cacheGenerator = require('./../CacheGenerator');
+var falcor = require("./../../lib/");
+var clean = require('./../cleanData').clean;
 var Model = falcor.Model;
-var Rx = require('rx');
-var noOp = function() {};
-var Observable = Rx.Observable;
-var _ = require('lodash');
 var expect = require('chai').expect;
-var $ref = falcor.Model.ref;
-var $atom = falcor.Model.atom;
-var $error = falcor.Model.error;
+var atom = Model.atom;
 
 describe('getCache', function() {
+
     it("should serialize the cache", function() {
         var model = new Model({ cache: cacheGenerator(0, 1) });
         var cache = model.getCache();
@@ -25,5 +20,21 @@ describe('getCache', function() {
         clean(cache);
         expect(cache).to.deep.equals(cacheGenerator(3, 1));
     });
+
+    it('should serialize a cache with undefined values.', function() {
+        var model = new Model({
+            cache: {
+                test: 'foo'
+            }
+        });
+
+        // mimicking cache clean-up
+        model._root.cache.testing = undefined;
+        var cache = model.getCache();
+        clean(cache);
+        expect(cache).to.deep.equals({
+            test: atom('foo', {$modelCreated: true})
+        });
+    });
 });
 
diff --git a/test/get-core/index.js b/test/get-core/index.js
index 47c66ac3..6c02a011 100644
--- a/test/get-core/index.js
+++ b/test/get-core/index.js
@@ -5,4 +5,5 @@ describe('Get Core', function() {
     require('./errors.spec');
     require('./deref.spec');
     require('./edges.spec');
+    require('./get.cache.spec');
 });
diff --git a/test/getCoreRunner.js b/test/getCoreRunner.js
index 6c2e1c18..d72a6b21 100644
--- a/test/getCoreRunner.js
+++ b/test/getCoreRunner.js
@@ -25,10 +25,16 @@ module.exports = function(testConfig) {
         cache = cache();
     }
     var source = testConfig.source;
-    var model = new Model({
-        cache: cache,
-        source: source
-    });
+    var model;
+    if (testConfig.model) {
+        model = testConfig.model;
+    }
+    else {
+        model = new Model({
+            cache: cache,
+            source: source
+        });
+    }
 
     if (testConfig.treatErrorsAsValues) {
         model = model.treatErrorsAsValues();