| Part 3 The bright sunlight was already filtering through the shutters and the birds were chirping happily. Alexis sighed happily, slowly opening her eyes. She had a dream about Jax and was perplexed by it, until she sat up and realized she wasn't in her own bed. "It wasn't a dream!" Alexis whispered, climbing out of bed and looking out the window. She sat back down on the bed, her anger resurfacing, as memories of Jax and their dinner came back to her. She had shown a side of herself she hadn't meant to. Alexis smiled in spite of herself, remembering his words and how gentle he had been with her, asking about Ned and what had happened. "No, don't even think about it. Just make it through the next day and then life can go back to normal," she reasoned with herself. But deep down, Alexis knew what was happening and after these two days with Jax her and her life would never be same. She jumped suddenly when the bedroom door opened. She turned around quickly, to see Jax walk in holding a tray. "Good morning!" he greeted happily. "How did I get here?" Alexis asked, gesturing to the bed. Her last memory of the night before was being on the couch, watching movie. He set the tray, which held warm croissants, nutella and a small glass of orange juice, on the bed beside her. "I carried you. You fell asleep on the couch and I didn’t want you to be stiff today from an uncomfortable sleep.” "What? No coffee?" Alexis asked, looking over the contents on the tray. Jax laughed, remembering how coffee usually *was* her breakfast. "Nope. Sorry!" he answered with a smile. Alexis knew he had neglected to bring her coffee on purpose. She was just thankful that he didn't have one of those god awful shakes on the tray to ‘beef her up’ with. Jax, reading her thoughts, answered, "That will be your breakfast tomorrow!" "Hmm?" she said, with a frown. "My famous protein shake!" Jax announced climbing off the bed. "Eat up. We have a full day planned!" "What do you mean?" "We’re in Venice and we’re going to see the sights!" "What if I don't want to?" she challenged. "Do you have any better ideas? Because I’m open for suggestions. But I think you’ll enjoy it." "Yes I do. You could send me home!" Alexis said, a little harsher than she had intended. Jax’s face fell in disappointment. He was hoping that after last night they would be able to enjoy each others company freely, like when they were husband and wife. "You agreed to give me my two day, Alexis," Jax reminded her gently. Alexis sighed, closing her eyes briefly. "I know I did, Jax, but I have a lot of work pending. I can't just brush it aside. That’s not my nature." Alexis was thinking about Sonny and wondering if he would miss her when she didn't show up for their early morning meeting. "Alexis, don't worry. I’ve taken care of everything," Jax said, walking towards the door. "Great!" she muttered, picking up a croissant and smearing it with nutella. No sense letting good food go to waste. An Hour Later... Alexis and Jax made their way to St. Mark’s Square. She had to admit that she was enjoying herself immensely. They had already been to the Rialto bridge (which provided the first permanent link between the two banks of Venice across the Canal Grande) and the Rialto market. Alexis looked around really enjoying the scenery; the narrow streets, the bridges over the canals, the architecture, the outdoor cafes. Venice was like no other city she had ever been to, with the hundreds of canals acting as roadways to the city with no cars and the atmosphere was so relaxed. She had been to Europe many times before but in so many ways, it was like taking in the sights for the first time. Jax noticed the smile forming on her face. "You’re enjoying this, aren't you?" "Yes," she admitted. He laced her fingers through his and squeezed her hand gently as they entered the Piazza di San Marco (St. Mark’s Square). They walked toward the Basilica di San Marco (the first church of the city. The original structure was built in 832 but has since been added to.) and as they waited in line with the numerous other tourists, they took in the view around them. It was incredible. The square was teaming with people and just as many pigeons. They listened as a choir sang and overheard some of the information several tour guides were sharing with their groups. After the Basilica, they went to the bell tower and again waited in line, but the lines moved surprisingly fast and it was worth every minute. The view was amazing. You could see most of the city and the surrounding waters. Alexis took in the view as Jax watched the joy play across her face. He had made her happy, he could see it in her face and his heart soared with his love for her. He touch her shoulders gently and she turned to looked at him. They held each others gaze. "I had forgotten just how beautiful this city is," Alexis admitted, as Jax wrapped his hands around her waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, letting the emotions she had been fighting all day take her over. She knew Jax was right. There was something special between them, but she wasn't ready to call it love just yet. "Breathtakingly beautiful," Jax agreed, but he was looking at her instead of the view. "So where to next?" Alexis asked, pulling away from him slightly. "I know the perfect spot for lunch," Jax said, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. Her breath hitched at the simple gesture. Her eyes met his and she could see all his love and desire in the blue depths. "You ready?" "Hmm?" Alexis said, not being able to think at the moment. His eyes had pulled her in so deep, she’d been lost in them. "For lunch?" She laughed nervously. “Right, lunch. I’m ready!" Jax took her to a little park not far from St. Mark's Square. They found a nice place for a picnic lunch, at a table under some trees and Jax spread out the food he had purchased for the occasion. They fell into a comfortable silence, enjoying the food and the atmosphere. "Jax, can I ask you something?" "Sure. You can ask me anything!" "Why now? Why are you trying to make me fall in love with you after all this time?" she finally asked the question that had been nagging her since yesterday. The smile left his face instantly. Alexis couldn't be sure, but for a brief moment she could swear she saw anger and regret burning in his eyes. "I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about my life. When I first left Port Charles, I spent a few months searching for Brenda. I think somewhere deep inside of me, I knew it wasn't her. She was just a convenient excuse to escape from my life for a little while," Jax admitted in shame. "Escape?" Alexis asked, her curiosity peaked. "I cared about Chloe but she wasn’t Brenda and she wasn’t you!" Jax said, looking into her eyes. "Jax..." Alexis tried, not sure if she wanted to know any more but if she stopped him now, she would always wonder about ‘what might have been’. "Please, let me say this." He silenced her by placing the tip of his finger on her lips. "The whole time I was searching for Brenda, I found myself missing and thinking about you instead of the woman I was supposedly in love with.” Alexis didn't know what to say. He was bearing himself to her, emotionally, and she felt her heart swell with...what? Affection? Friendship? Love? No it couldn’t be love, could it? "That’s when I started to realize that I had fallen in love with my ex-wife. But I didn't think you felt the same way. Then when found out that you and Ned were getting married, I figured it was fate, so I stayed away." Alexis felt tears well in her eyes. She fought to stay in control of her emotions but she didn’t know what she was feeling anymore. Everything was slipping beyond her control. In less than a day, Jax had managed to turn her world upside down and she didn’t know if she should be angry at him or extremely grateful. "I don't know what to say," she finally whispered, wiping a wayward tear from her cheek. "You don’t have to say anything right now. I just thought you should know." Jax stood up and threw away the trash, before reaching out a hand to her. She placed her hand in his and he pulled her gently to her feet. They left the park, hand in hand, ready to explore some more of the beautiful city. Several Hours Later... Alexis was laying on the couch when she heard a loud crash. She sat up quickly and looked in the direction of the noise. "Jax are you sure you don't want some help?" "NO!" Jax called, sounding slightly panicked. Alexis laughed, knowing what he was thinking. "How do you know that I haven't learned how to cook in the last year?" He poked his head out the kitchen door. "Have you?" She bit her lower lip. "No." "In that case, you can stay right where you are. I'm sure the owner of this lovely apartment would like his or her kitchen to still be functional at the end of our stay," Jax teased. He disappeared before the pillow that Alexis threw could hit him. She laughed, settling back on the couch. She was just drifting off to sleep when her cell phone starting ringing. She had forgotten all about it. She quickly got it out of purse. "Hello?" "Alexis!" "Sonny?" "Yes it's me. Where are you? Are you alright?" he asked. Alexis could tell by his voice that he was worried about her. "Yes, Sonny I'm fine. I will be home in another day or so.” Alexis chose not tell him where she was or whom she was with, knowing how both men felt about the other. "You’re sure you’re okay. I mean, it's not like you to just up and disappear on me." Alexis laughed. "I'm alright. I trust that you can stay out of trouble and out of jail until I get back,” her voice light and teasing. "Well, I don't know, Counselor. You know how much I love seeing you in action!" Sonny flirted. His suggestive tone caused Alexis to blush just as Jax was bringing dinner out. Their eyes locked. "I have to go!" she said, hanging up the phone before Sonny could say goodbye. Sonny's Penthouse He frowned when as he hung up the phone. Alexis was acting a little strange. Johnny stuck his head in the penthouse. "What did you find out?" "Miss Davis is in Italy with Mr. Jacks. Sonny eyes grew large with anger, rage and jealously. "Jax?" he questioned incredulously. "Yeah boss, she’s with Mr. Jacks in Venice." Johnny confirmed before leaving Sonny alone. * * * * * "Who was that?" Jax asked, suspecting he already knew the answer. When she looked away from his eyes, his suspicions had been confirmed. "A client," Alexis said, not wanting to have to talk about Sonny with Jax. "It was Sonny, wasn’t it?" he asked, his voice laced with anger. Alexis closed her eyes. "He was worried about me." "Worried that Sorel’s men may have gotten you. It took him long enough to miss you!" Jax said, shaking his head in disgust. "Well I wouldn’t even be missing, if it wasn't for you!" Alexis snapped. "Why can't you see how dangerous he is?" "Jax, I know how you feel about Sonny but who I choose as a client is my choice, not yours, not Ned’s, mine!" Alexis said, tired of defending herself and her choices. "Do you have feelings for him?" Jax asked her outright. Alexis was taken aback by his boldness. She opened and closed her mouth several times before finally answering him. "Sonny and I are friends," she said, rising from the couch and walking to stand in front of Jax. "He will only destroy your life Alexis," Jax warned. "Jax..." Alexis whispered, touching his face. "I care about him more than I ever realized and Sonny is something that we will never agree on, so can we just drop it please. "I won’t let him destroy you too," Jax whispered, pressing his face into her palm. "I'm not Brenda, Jax. I don't need you to play the knight in shining armor. I can fight my own battles," Alexis reminded him. "I know that Alexis but I want to be by your side during those battles," Jax said, running a finger across her lower lip. "I know. That’s one of the things I love about you." The words left her mouth before she could stop them. She looked up to find Jax smiling at her knowingly. She held her breath as he leaned down and claimed her mouth in a sweet, tender kiss that explained all. Alexis moaned, as she parted her lips giving him access to her mouth. She let herself go, melting into his embrace, knowing in that moment that this was right. She belonged in Jax’s arms. |