She couldn't look at the counter without blushing. Alexis pressed her hands to her cheeks, embarrassed at the warmth she felt. She was well aware that no one dining at Kelley's had any knowledge of what went on between her and Luke the previous night, but the way it seemed everyone's eyes were leering at her, she was sure they knew. Paranoia, she reminded herself.
"Miss me, princess?"
Her breath caught in her throat and her lips parted slowly. Alexis swallowed a gasp of air and felt a jolt of electricity travel through her entire body as Luke's warm breath beat against her neck. She shuddered when his lips grazed the tender skin of her ear, his cheek brushing against her long hair as he moved back.
"Well?" Luke prodded, sliding onto the chair across from her. "Did you?"
"Did I what?" Alexis asked, gripping her coffee mug until her fingers turned white.
He rolled his eyes and shrugged a shoulder. Luke glanced around the room and then back to Alexis. "I don't want to sound arrogant-"
"You are arrogant," she added quickly.
"That's not the point. I don't want to sound so sure of myself, but are you here just to relive last night or do you have business to attend to?"
Alexis studied him for a moment. He was leaning back against the chair, one leg crossed over the other. His arms were resting comfortably over the table. He wasn't going anywhere. She smacked her lips together and leaned forward, saying, "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm meeting with a lawyer."
"You are a lawyer."
"Yes, I know," she groaned. Alexis reached toward him and attempted to push his hands away from the table. But Luke was quick and caught her hands inside his. She squared her eyes and said, "I can't represent Stefan when... if his case goes to court. I would have to name Lucky as my shooter. Hence my search for a lawyer. I needed to find someone smart, capable and ruthless."
Luke let go of her hands, folding his arms across his chest. He leaned back and released a long, course breath. "Well," he said, thinking, "you are the only lawyer I know who is both smart and capable, and happens to be damn ruthless. So who the hell did you find?"
The bells above the front door rang. Alexis glanced over her shoulder and smiled at the man slowly making his way to her table. She stood up, extending her hand, and said, "I found him."
Luke rose to his feet, throwing his chair back. He shook his head and glared at Alexis. "Well send him back, Natasha. We don't need him."
"No, *we* don't need him. *I* need him. What's your problem, Luke?" Alexis shouted.
"My problem? If you hire this folicly challenged dope, you are the one with the problem," he hollered, waving his arms in the air.
Scott Baldwin took a step back and watched his nemesis argue with Alexis. He flinched as their voices grew louder and more shrill, and laughed at the way Alexis' skin turned red and her muscles tightened. He stood behind her and whispered into her ear, "I have the same reaction to him. Don't worry."
Alexis stopped herself, closing her eyes. She inhaled a deep, calming breath. She sat down and pointed from Scott to the seat beside her, smiling when he accepted the offer. "I'm sorry, Mr. Baldwin. Luke has a way of showing up at the most inopportune times and making a complete ass of himself."
"Believe me, I know," Scott laughed, tossing his flimsy briefcase onto the table. "We go way back."
Alexis nodded, finally understanding why Luke was so against her decision to hire Scott. She vaguely remembered Luke listing has name at one time or another as an enemy, possibly once a competitor for Laura's affections. She rubbed her temples slowly and avoided Luke's beady eyes. "I feel your pain, Mr. Baldwin."
"Call me Scott," he said, winking.
Luke rolled his eyes. "Oh, please. Tell me you are not going to hire this... this... creature, Natasha."
"Natasha?" Scott asked, puzzled.
Alexis nodded and shrugged. "Call me Alexis. It's a long story."
"She's really the illegitimate daughter of Mikkos Cassadine, but she just found out a few years back," Luke revealed.
"Apparently not that long." Alexis shifted her weight in the chair until she could not see Luke at all. "Listen, Scott. This is really important to me. It's inevitable that my brother is going to trial. For reasons I cannot divulge right now, I cannot testify on his behalf without perjuring myself. I need you to work with me to ensure that my brother does not get convicted of attempted murder. Can you help me?"
Scott never turned down a challenge. He especially never turned down a challenge that somehow involved Luke Spencer. He took hold of Alexis' hand and flashed his teeth in a wide smile. "I can try," he said.
"Thank you. Can we go over a few things right now?"
Scott nodded. "Sure. But... uh... I'm sure you know there's this whole lawyer-client privilege. And as far as I know, I'm not representing that doof," he said, cocking his head toward Luke.
"He's not even here," Alexis said, standing up. She tugged on Luke's arms until he stood up. Dragging him across the restaurant, she pressed his back against the wall and held her palm to his chest. "Please do not screw this up. You know I'm not going to do anything to get Lucky in trouble. Just let me work to get my brother out of jail, okay? Please."
Luke clenched his hands into tight fists. He looked from Alexis to Scott, and back to Alexis. If her eyes hadn't been so round, so vulnerable and glistening with moisture, he would have walked right over to the table and connected his fist with Scott's face. Instead he wrapped his fingers around Alexis' arms and said, "Okay. But you promise to come over to the club and fill me in on as much as you can. You gotta promise."
"I promise."
"Alright. I don't like this and I don't agree with this. But I've learned that as much fun as it is to make you mad, it's just as much fun to have you happy with me." Luke tightened his grip on her arms and turned her around, pressing her back against the wall. His body fell against hers roughly and he tilted his head, bending down to press a quick but firm kiss against Alexis' lips. He left her slightly stunned, walking to the door without a glance at Scott.
Alexis gained her composure and made her way back to the table. She sat down and said, "I apologize."
"Don't worry. I don't know you very well, but I can see that you have a very strange relationship with Luke," Scott observed.
"Isn't any relationship with Luke strange?"
Scott smiled and said, "You got a point."
~*~
He tried writing while keeping his eyes on the pile of envelopes at the same time, but it wasn't easy. Lucky was afraid that as soon as he looked away from the sheet of paper resting in front of him on the table, Andreas would sneak into the room and take the letters. That he would mail Helena's acceptance and rejection of invitations, requests for information on new medical treatments and correspondences with the most wealthy men before he had a chance to slip his letter into the pile.
Lucky shifted in the chair, moving closer to the table. His letters were shaky and hanging slightly off the lines on the paper. He tightened his grip on the pen, trying to keep his hand steady. His lips moved, mumbling the words as he wrote. "Dear Alexis... things never work out the way you expect... don't be afraid of me... it might seem that I intend to hurt you, but that is wrong... please do not fear me..."
He signed his name, his hand slightly smearing the thick black ink. Lucky folded the sheet of paper and stuffed it inside the envelope, the address of Alexis' office scribbled on the front. He jogged frantically to the desk and slipped the envelope into the middle of the pile.
He moved quickly back to the table, sitting down and opening a book in front of him. Lucky tapped his short nails on the book's pages as he anticipated Andreas' entrance. Alexis had to receive that letter. She had to know that if he ever held a gun to her again, she shouldn't be afraid. She shouldn't worry that he was going to pull the trigger.
Lucky gulped when he heard Andreas' feet shuffling across the carpet. He entered the room silently, never acknowledging Lucky's presence. His eyes widened at the sight of a rather large stack of outgoing mail. It wasn't often Helena Cassadine received letters, and it was even less frequent that she would respond.
~*~
Jax stood outside of the club, second guessing his decision. He didn't want Alexis to think he was following her around, but on the flip side, there was nothing wrong with wanting to spend an evening with his friend. His best friend.
He pressed a hand against the door and felt the vibrations of the music and the voices. He inhaled a deep breath, the stench of alcohol already penetrating the air. But it was what pulled Jax inside. He was craving the burn of whiskey sliding down his throat.
A rush of warm air hit his body as he opened the door. Jax's eyes darted around the crowded club, searching for Alexis and in a way, hoping not to see her. A satisfied smile curled on his lips when he noticed Luke standing behind the bar.
Jax crossed the floor, sliding up to the bar. When the palms of his hands slapped the top of the marble top, Luke spoke without turning around, "What'll it be?"
"A moment of your time," Jax answered, thickening his accent.
Luke spun around. He smacked his lips, glaring at Jax. "It's not for sale," he answered after a long pause, taking a step away.
Jax reached forward and grabbed the arm of Luke's shirt. " I'll pay extra."
"Pardon yourself," Luke sneered, wrenching out of Jax's grasp. He brushed his hand down the sleeve of his shirt. "This is a bar. A restaurant. If you're not here to eat, drink or listen to the blues, then leave."
"I just want to talk, Spencer."
Luke shook his head. "Did all those ultraviolet lights fry your brain, Jasper? Spend too much time in the tanning bed? I said I've got nothin' to say to you."
Jax clenched his hands into fists, resisting the urge to engage in a series of insults. He sat down on the stool beside him and propped his elbows on the bar. "You don't even know what I want to hear," Jax said.
"Don't care." Luke waved his hand in the air as he turned around.
When Jax called out, "It's about Alexis," Luke stopped suddenly. His shoes squeaked on the floor and as he slowly turned around. His eyes bore into Jax's, and he leaned on the bar.
"Do I have your attention now?" Jax asked smugly, rolling his eyes as Luke shrugged a shoulder. "I don't know exactly what is going on between you and Alexis, and I don't really want any details. But she's my best friend and you don't deserve her. I'm not about to tell a woman like Alexis what to do. However, I don't want her to have to find out by herself."
"Exactly what are you trying to say, blondie?"
Jax's nostrils flared slightly. He sat up, straightening his shoulders and puffing out his chest. "I'm saying don't hurt her. Spare Alexis and just leave her the hell alone. People around you have a way of ending up in body bags, Luke."
Before the last of Jax's words reached his ears, Luke circled around the counter. He stood behind and Jax and waited until the younger man turned around. When he did, Luke's knuckles connected roughly with the center of Jax's face, crunching against the bridge of his nose.
Jax's hands covered his face as the stool wobbled. He managed to land on his feet just as the stool hit the ground. His eyes found Luke and he took a deep breath, shaking his head. "That was the wrong thing to do," he snapped, quickly punching Luke in the stomach.
He grunted, bending at the waist. Luke felt the pain radiating through his whole body. He swallowed another groan and stood up straight, ignoring the throb at his waist. He grabbed Jax's shoulder and was about to kick him or punch him or strangle him when a slender body got in the way.
Alexis positioned herself between the two men, one hand holding Jax back while the other grabbed Luke's arm. She pushed him away. "Stop it," she shouted, her voice coarse. "What were you thinking?"
"What was I thinking?" Luke bellowed, waving his index finger at Jax. "What was I thinking? He comes into my club and demands answers to questions he has no right asking and you want to know what I was thinking?"
"Shut up," Alexis said, stomping her foot. She turned to look at Jax, wincing at the sight of blood dripping from his nose and at the corner of his mouth. She took his hand and led him to a chair. An employee handed her a moist towel and Alexis applied the cloth to Jax's wounds, rubbing his shoulder as he cringed in pain.
Luke held a hand over his stomach. "I don't believe this," he sighed, clenching his teeth. He kicked the overturned bar stool and brushed past Alexis, storming into his office.
Alexis took Jax's hand and pulled him toward the door. They stepped outside and she cleared a spot on a rusting bench. "Sit," she ordered, pacing in circles before she joined him. Her arm unconsciously circled around his waist. Her fingers were tracing soft circles on his back. "I never... I never thought I'd see you do something like that," she finally said, irritated.
He released a deep breath, his shoulders sinking. Jax dabbed his face with the cloth once more before dropping on the bench beside him. Whenever his eyes locked with hers, he felt his chest tighten and all of the air left his lungs. He had to blink his eyes several times and finally dropped his chin to his chest, focusing on the way her hand was now draped over his thigh. "I grew up believing I would never get anything I wanted," he told her sadly. "I woke up one morning surrounded by expensive furniture, cars, houses on every coast and every continent. Women were... it wasn't hard to find companionship. Then I met Brenda."
Alexis' hand pressed against his leg. She caught his gaze and offered a small, sympathetic smile.
"I realized all of those possessions were just a bonus. Love was what made me rich. It sounds like a cliche, I know, but... it was true." He swallowed hard, dragging his hands down his face. "I lost her. I didn't think I would ever find the kind of love again that makes nothing else matter. When I was with Brenda, if I had lost all those cars and houses, I'd still be the happiest man alive. When I realized you were with Luke, or whatever, I went crazy. I got scared."
"I'm impressed that you care so much, Jax. I just don't know how many times we can have this conversation," Alexis sighed, her words slurred as she fought a stream of tears. She shut her eyes and said, "I need you as my friend. My best friend."
He nodded. "I know," he said gruffly. "Do you love him, Alexis?"
She choked on her breath, coughing and clearing her throat. Alexis stood up and moved away from the door. "I have feelings for him."
"But do you love him?"
Alexis thought about the night she feared Luke had been shot. She thought about his hands, his lips, his fingers caught in her hair, his voice waking her up in the morning and his breath against her neck while she fell asleep. She knew her body ached when they were apart, and even when they were together. Alexis knew he made her laugh and made her feel safe. But she couldn't bring herself to admit any of those things meant she loved him. "I don't know," she finally answered.
Jax startled her as he stood behind her. The front of his body pressed against her back, his arms wound around her waist. He rest his head between her neck and shoulder, her hair brushing against his face. "The thing is," he told her, "I had no idea exactly how much I loved you until I couldn't have you. It's an awful feeling." He kissed her shoulder and walked away before Alexis had a chance to speak.
She watched Jax disappear into the night. A single tear slipped down her cheek, wetting her lips. Alexis made her way back inside the club and stood outside of Luke's office. She knew she had something to tell him, but she wasn't sure the words could become more than thoughts.
~*~
Lucky jumped as the door to his bedroom flew open. "Helena," he greeted her, the pieces on the chess board falling out of place as he stood up.
"I'm happy to see you are so alert," she said approvingly, "for I need your full attention."
"Why is that?"
Lucky gulped as Helena's lips spread into a malicious grin. She took his hand, curling their fingers together and said, "It's time to do away with Alexis."