Part XVII
by Laura
Alexis stopped walking when she reached the playground. She stood on the paved path that wound through the park, watching a child hang from the monkey bars and smile gleefully at his mother. She waited until the family collected their belongings, a picnic basket and a red and white checkered blanket, to walk the short distance to the playground.
Her feet stumbled over the uneven ground of grass, rocks and sand. Alexis sat down on one of the swings, swaying from side to side. She closed her eyes and enjoyed the quiet. She could hear the slight breeze rustling the trees and birds chirping in the distance. She wanted the peace to relax her, but all it did was remind her how chaotic her life had become.
She tried not to think of Luke and his betrayal. She tried not to think of what he did as a betrayal. Alexis reminded herself over and over that what they had was hardly a relationship, but every time she thought that, it felt like such a lie.
"It was just sex." That's what he had told her, so cruel and so heartless. She couldn't forget the tone of his voice and the way his eyes had become two stones set far back inside his head. Alexis pressed a finger to her lips and remembered how cold his mouth was, how rough and hateful his kiss had been.
A single tear rolled down her cheek. Alexis wiped her face when she looked up and saw Jax jogging down the path, pumping his arms at his sides as he ran. She thought about calling out to him or slipping into the trees to avoid awkward conversation, but she didn't have to make a decision.
Jax stopped suddenly when he saw her. He caught his breath and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. "Alexis," he said her name to himself, slowly jogging toward her.
"Hi," she said, waving meekly. "Nice day for a jog, isn't it?"
He nodded, glancing casually at the clear sky. Jax unzipped his jacket, shrugging it from his shoulders and draping it over an empty swing. He sat down on the swing beside her, wrapping his fingers around the chains on each side of him. "So, what's a woman like you doing in a place like this?"
Alexis smiled to herself, looking down at her feet. She shrugged and said, "Collecting my thoughts, I guess. Getting away from it all."
"And what would be "it," if you don't mind me asking?"
She picked her feet up from the ground and let the swing rock her gently. Alexis took a deep, nervous breath and answered him, "Work. Helena. Luke Spencer." She felt a change in Jax's breathing at the mention of his name. She found the courage to look over at him and was grateful for the lack of anger and resentment she found looking back at her.
Jax nodded and pursed his lips while he thought of what to say. "Did something happen? Some new developments?"
"You could call it that," Alexis told him, picking up speed as she pumped her legs in the air. Her hair began to fly behind her head, strands occasionally falling over her face.
They were silent, each staring at the expanse of grass and trees before them. They engaged in a sort of contest to see who could kick their legs the farthest, whose swing could reach closer to the tree branches above them. Alexis closed her eyes and leaned back as far as she could, smiling like a child at the thought of being able to fly. She loved the feeling of the air rushing around her and not being able to feel solid ground beneath her feet. Laughter bubbled in her chest, and she giggled as Jax came to a stop to watch her.
Alexis noticed that he wasn't swinging and slowed down, eventually planting her feet on the ground. Her laughter died down and she looked into his eyes. "Jax?"
"Yes?"
She decided to be as blunt as possible. "Do you hate me?"
The question offended him. He stared at her, his lips parted. Jax turned the swing so that he could face her, the chains twisted. "Alexis, are you crazy? I have no reason to hate you."
"Yes, you do," she told him. "I... well, you know."
Jax laughed quickly and then said, "I'm a grown man, Alexis. I can admit that I overreacted a bit to what happened between us. But I'm passed feeling hurt and rejected. At least a little bit." He smiled, reaching toward her to pat her knee so that she knew he wasn't completely uncomfortable with her. "I'll never hate you. You could try to kill me and I would still love you."
"You're too good to be true, you know that, Jax? And to think I almost ruined everything we have."
He shook his head. "You didn't ruin anything. We had some problems, and we needed some time apart. I went a little psycho, but I'm over that. I told you a long time ago that I'd always be your friend, and now we know that absolutely nothing can change that."
Tears stung her eyes, and Alexis had to hold her breath to keep from crying. She smiled and twisted on the swing to face him. "Thank you, Jax. You haven't changed a bit. You've always known when I need you, and here you are."
"You need me?"
She nodded. "And I've missed you."
Jax extended his arms and leaned forward until she fell against him. He hugged her close to his body, rocking from side to side. "I missed you, Alexis. I was so stupid to think that anything could ruin our friendship. I was an idiot to let something get in the way."
"Something?" Alexis pulled away slowly, her hands lingering against his hips for a long moment. "Can we just be completely honest here for a minute?" She waited until he nodded, and then said, "You said that you fell in love with me. I said I didn't have those feelings for you, and the reason I said that was because of someone else."
"Luke."
She tried not to react to his name, but Alexis knew Jax saw her flinch. "I was angry with you for being honest. I wanted to keep living in my comfortable little world. I hated you for saying how you felt, so these feelings that I had... I just kept them to myself until it was too late."
"Alexis." Jax reached forward and took her hands inside his. "Did something happen with Luke?"
She bit her lower lip, her vision of him blurred as tears welled in her eyes. "It's in my blood to hate that man, you know," she told him, thinking about Luke's words. "But I was positive that I could get past that. I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that Cassadines and Spencers could coexist and maybe even be happy. I was such a fool."
"Alexis? What happened?"
"He's an ass hole. He's selfish and he uses people and he doesn't know what he wants. He pretends to actually have a heart and feelings, but he's hollow. He's so... stupid! And I let myself fall in love with him, Jax."
He cringed, but he wouldn't let her see that. Jax reached out, pressing his thumb to a tear that trailed down her cheek. His skin absorbed the moisture, and he felt his heart beat faster at the feel of her skin against his. "I'm sorry that he hurt you, Alexis."
"You don't understand, Jax!" Alexis shouted, her voice scratchy and broken. "He wants to say that he tried to kill me. He wants you to testify against him. He's willing to go to jail if it means his son could be free, and I respect that. But I don't understand why he had to belittle our relationship." Alexis clenched her hands into fists, beating them against her lap. Her tears became laughter, and she suddenly couldn't stop.
"Hey? Alexis?"
She tried to say something, but nothing but laughter left her mouth. Her cheeks were painted a deep crimson, her eyes squeezed shut. Alexis gasped for breath between fits of giggles. She stopped suddenly and opened her eyes to meet Jax's confused gaze. The corners of her lips fell and she just looked at him, vulnerable and desperate. "It's so absurd. A Cassadine in love with a Spencer. And I feel like such a child, Jax. Such a stupid, stupid woman."
"You are not stupid, Alexis," he consoled her. "You're human. I won't begin to try and understand how you fell in love with Luke, or why. But I do know that he's crazy not to feel the same way about you."
Alexis sighed, gaining her composure. She wiped at her tears. She walked her feet closer to him, stretching the swing as far as it would go. Her palms resting flat against his knees, Alexis gently kneaded him through the material of his pants. She bent at the waist, close enough for him to feel her breath as she spoke. "And I'm crazy," she told him softly, "for not feeling the same way about you."
Jax swallowed hard. His lips parted, and he wanted so badly to tangle his hands in her hair. He was aching to press his lips to hers. "Whoa, wait a second," Jax warned her, leaning back. "You don't want to do this, Alexis."
She shut her eyes, ashamed. Alexis cleared her throat and said, "I'm sorry. I'm confused and you're just so easy to talk to. Not to mention adorable." They shared a quiet life, Jax holding Alexis' hand. "Will you get me outta here?"
"Okay. Where to?"
"Ireland."
His eyes widened. "Seriously?"
"No," Alexis shook her head. "Someplace. The Outback? I haven't been there in ages."
He nodded and stood up. He slipped into his jacket and extended his hand to Alexis. They walked side by side, her head resting against his arm, down the path and out of the park.
~*~
Luke hated the smell of prison. He hated all the gray walls, closing in on him. But he did not hate seeing Stefan Cassadine behind bars.
"Count Vlad," Luke called out before he even came close to the cell. "Nice to see you. Silver is your color," he laughed, tapping his knuckles on the bars.
Stefan sat up. "What do you want, Spencer?"
"We need to talk."
Stefan stood up and stretched his arms in the air, his muscles burning. "I'm a captive audience, Spencer. What's stopping you?"
Luke nodded. He leaned against the wall across from the bars, studying the size of the cell. He could easily see himself there, using that cot as a bed. Banging his head against those walls. But he hated the idea. He loathed it, and yet it was his only option. "I want my son to have a life," he finally said. "Your momma's not going to let my son go without a fight, without me endin' up dead or behind bars for the rest of my life. The way I see it, we gotta ruin her plans. Stir things up."
"What is the point of your rambling on and on?" Stefan asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
"You're gonna owe me big time, Cassadine."
Stefan cocked his head to the side, a smug smile lifting the corners of his lips. "How is that?"
"Brace yourself, 'cause you're about to hear five little words you never dreamt'd come out of my mouth." Luke took a deep breath. He swallowed all the hatred and pride that kept him from ever looking at Stefan as a sympathetic character, as a human being. As someone he would actually help. "I'm gonna take your place."
"Take my place?" Stefan asked, stepping closer to the bars. He clutched at them, his fingers wrapped tightly around the cold steel.
Luke nodded. "Your little sister tried to persuade me to change my mind, but since when do I listen to a Cassadine, huh? So here I am."
"This is absurd. You're putting your trust in my sister and I to bring your son to safety? While you rot in prison for what? Being a nuisance?"
Luke sneered, clenching his hands into fists behind his back. "I'm going to confess to tryin' to kill your baby sister."
He stood frozen, confused and startled. Stefan's heart beat faster at the prospect of being free, but there was something stopping him from accepting Luke's offer. He held Luke's intense, angry stare. "Are you in love with my sister?" Stefan asked, trying not to cringe as the words left his mouth.
"What?" Luke stammered, moving quickly toward the cell.
"Do you love Alexis?"
"What do you care?"
Stefan tightened his grip on the bars even more. It was killing him to even think of his sister being happy with his enemy. "It was a rather straightforward question, Spencer. I want to know if you are in love with my sister. I want to know what kind of man would spend so much time with a woman and then admit to trying to take her life."
"If I say yes, you'll probably have my head on a platter."
"No," Stefan shook his head. "If you say yes, I'll know that I'll be staring at these walls for the rest of my life."
Luke's eyes flashed with confusion and something he wouldn't admit was a kind of respect. "What?" He was too thrown to think of something better to say.
Stefan smiled, because to him it was all so simple. "I love my sister, Luke," he said. "I spent most of my life watching her force a smile onto her face and cower in fear from Helena. It's time that she find some happiness."
Luke pressed his fists to the bars. He glared at Stefan, hating him even more for stirring feelings of guilt and regret. He pounded his knuckles against the bar and smiled when Stefan flinched and backed away. Luke shook his head and walked away, his boots roughly striking the ground with each heavy step.
He walked until he was outside, breathing in the fresh air. Luke bent at the waist, holding his hands over his knees. He coughed and choked on his breath. He stood up, dragging his hands down his face. Tears soaked into his skin and he released a cry, muffled by the weight of his hand. He didn't know what he was doing anymore. All he wanted was for his son to be home and safe.
~*~
There was a time he didn't have to ask where they were going. In the past, there was a quiet kind of trust between them. An easy, comfortable rapport. Helena used to ask if there were any island, foreign cities or historical landmarks he had an interest in seeing. Of course, she didn't always take him to those places. But the fact that she asked was enough for him then.
Lucky knew something was wrong when the yacht began to move fiercely through the water, and Helena didn't bother to tell him where they were going. He knew that at some point he had made a mistake, that he had become careless in his deceit. She would sit in the same room as him, and no words were exchanged. Hardly even a glance.
After the yacht had been sailing for almost two days, Lucky decided to ask. "Where exactly are we going?"
Helena smiled to herself. She turned to face him, her expression eerily calm. "Lucky, we are headed towards our final destination." She paused, drinking in the sight of panic hiding behind his eyes. "We are going to Greece."
~*~
The rain kept the crowds out of The Outback. Jax and Alexis sat side by side at a table in the center of the restaurant, far away from the scattered patrons at the bar. They both sipped from martinis and pushed away the empty glasses that cluttered their table. Alexis poked her fork around a salad, distracted.
"Are you okay?" Jax asked her, unable to take the silence any longer. They hadn't stopped talking since they were seated over an hour ago, and suddenly Alexis lost interest in everything around her.
She looked up and smiled, but it hurt even her teeth to force the expression on her face. "I'm sorry," she sighed, shaking her head. "I'm not very good company."
"Nah, don't be silly," Jax teased her. "I love it when my dates get drunk and ignore me."
"I am not drunk!" Alexis protested, dropping her fork onto the plate.
He laughed and nodded at the glass on the table. "Okay, but you are ignoring me. I'm not mad. Just concerned." He moved his chair closer to her, slinging his arm across the back of Alexis chair. "This doesn't have to be a celebration or anything, Alexis. We can talk."
"But I don't want to," she told him. "I came here with you because I've missed you. Because I wanted to forget about the rest of the world and remember what it's like to just be with you and laugh and feel good and have fun."
"Okay, then," Jax smiled. "I'm here. You're here." He held her face in his hands, rubbing his thumbs lightly against the red, swollen skin beneath her eyes. "So let's have fun."
Alexis held a hand over his. She slowly peeled his hands away from her face, holding them inside his. "Fun, fun... how do you do that?"
"Uh, let me see if I can remember," Jax laughed, squinting as though deep in thought. He smiled and began to stand up, pulling Alexis with him. He nodded at the space cleared on the floor for dancing just beside their table.
"A dance?"
He nodded. "A dance."
Alexis walked ahead of him. She stood with her arms at her sides, smiling coyly. A rush of warm air swept through her body when he came closer to her. Her breathing hitched when Jax slipped a strong arm around her waist, tugging her against his body. She wound her arms around his neck, looking into his eyes before resting her cheek against his chest.
They moved slowly, and even slower until their dance became a gentle but firm embrace. Jax closed his eyes and moved a hand up her back until he felt the soft tendrils of her chestnut hair. He held her head against his chest, leaning down until his cheek was pressed to her hair. He inhaled a sharp breath when Alexis lowered her arms, hugging him tightly at the waist.
"I do love you, Jax," she whispered, not even sure that he could hear her.
Jax nodded, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "I love you, too." He took a deep breath, inhaling her sweet scent. He mouthed the word goodbye and closed his eyes as they danced. He had to let her go, he knew. She didn't belong with him, she couldn't. Her heart was with someone else and it was time for Jax to prove just how much she meant to him. By letting her go.