~~~~~~~

Oh no, what's this?
A spider web and I'm caught in the middle
So I turn to run
And thought of all the stupid things I'd done

And I never meant to cause you trouble
I never meant to do you wrong
And oh, well if I ever caused you trouble
Oh, no I never meant to do you harm

~~~~~~~~

The second Reese left the room, Ric began throwing what little personal belongings he had with him into the overnight bag he had originally packed. He only had two things on his mind at the moment. First, he needed to leave the room he was in as soon as possible, he was so disgusted with himself that it made him physically ill to be there. And more importantly, he had to find Alexis. He learned his lesson the last time he kept the truth from her and he wouldn't do it again. Alexis deserved better. He didn't want to think about what the possible ramifications were, but there were no other options. She needed to know the truth.

Ric didn't bother to recheck the room for any forgotten items. He just needed to find his wife. He threw open the door and ran straight into one of the bellhops.

"S-sorry, Mr. Lansing," the young man stuttered.

"It's fine," Ric muttered.

"Are you checking out, sir?"

"Yeah," Ric sighed and tried to walk past the boy.

"Well, it's a good thing I stopped by when I did," he grinned. "I have a package for you."

Ric frowned at his comment, but it went unnoticed by the young man. Ric glanced at his nametag that read 'Jimmy'.

"Look, Jimmy, I'm running late, can you just leave it at the front desk and I'll pick it up later?" Ric once again tried to step out of the room.

"Are you sure, Mr. Lansing? Your wife asked that I hand deliver this to you first thing this morning."

Time seemed to stop for Ric as an overwhelming feeling of dread filled him. "My wife? My wife was here?" Ric asked, his voice hoarse.

"Yes, sir. She stopped by last night, didn't you see her?" Jimmy asked him confused.

Ric shook his head speechless. His grip on his bag slacked and it fell to the carpet.

"That's weird," Jimmy shrugged not noticing Ric's face pale. "She asked for your room number and then used the elevators. A few minutes later she came back down, asked for an envelope, and that this be delivered to you this morning."

"You were on staff last night?" Ric asked quietly.

"Yes, sir, I'm pulling double--"

"Are you sure it was my wife?" Ric interrupted him.

"Alexis Davis? Tall, long brown hair, and, um, pregnant. And if I can say so - quite the hottie."

Ric glared at Jimmy and he quickly stepped back. "Sorry, sir," he apologized off his look. He handed him the envelope, ready to get back to the lobby.

"Was there a message to go along with it?" Ric asked. His mouth felt like sandpaper and the nauseous feeling returned.

"Nope. She just wanted to make sure you got this hand delivered."

Ric nodded his head slowly, looking down at the envelope in his hands. "Thanks," he muttered. He reached for his wallet, but Jimmy stopped him.

"Um, no tip is necessary, Mr. Lansing. Ms. Davis took care of it last night." Jimmy smiled at him and began to walk away. "Oh!" he snapped his fingers remembering. "Thank you for staying at the Metro Court. We hope you enjoyed your stay with us and we look forward to your next visit." His speech done, Jimmy walked away whistling happily to himself.

Ric stepped back into the room and softly closed the door. His hands were shaking and he could feel the lump in his throat getting bigger. He licked his lips nervously and ripped open the envelope causing the contents to fall to the lush carpet with a silent thud. There at his feet, laid her heart. Ric stared at it for a moment before kneeling down to pick up the diamond encrusted pendant.

The heart he had given her.

"Oh, God," he moaned.

She knew.

~~~~~~~

"I have no reason to be so upset," Alexis began, a tear running down her face. "I mean I was the one that suggested we should get a divorce." She rubbed her forehead against his. "I just thought we could still work it out."

She pulled back to look at his face. His dark brown eyes watching her with a cold empty stare. She sighed angrily and threw the stuffed bear to the other side of the couch. He wasn't a very good listener anyway.

As if on cue, Jax walked into the living room, handing her a cup of herbal tea. "Drink this," he began. "It'll help you sleep."

"I don't want to sleep, Jax," Alexis told him rubbing her face tiredly.

"Doesn't matter, you need to sleep. Think of the baby."

She traced the rim of the cup with her finger. It had been over five hours since she had seen Ric and Reese. The initial hurt she felt was now a welcome numbness.

Jax sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Alexis, if you want to--"

"No," she interrupted. "I don't want to talk about it. Not right now."

He nodded kissing the crown of her head. "Whatever you want, sweetheart."

"You should go back to Courtney's," she told him, lifting her head to meet his gaze.

"I'm right where I need to be."

She was too tired to fight him and she honestly didn't want to be alone. Not right now. Her eyes darted about the room. "You redecorated?" she asked him, finally taking notice of the artwork scattered about his apartment.

"No," he told her with a frown.

"Oh," she muttered. Had it been that long since she had visited her friend?

She raised the cup of tea to her lips and watched as a small drop of water fell into the hot liquid. It was another tear. She tilted her head to the side surprised that she still had tears to shed. Jax reached out and took the cup from her hand, setting it on the coffee table. He cupped her face with his hands and pushed back the tears with his thumbs, a frown crossing his face.

"Alexis, I'm worried about you," he told her softly. "If you want to scream and yell or cry, you can. You're safe here."

She simply shrugged, weariness taking over. "I'm just so tired, Jax," she told him, avoiding his comment.

"Ok," he sighed not wanting to argue with her. "Why don't you take a nap, I'll be here when you wake up."

"I should get home to Kristina," she told him sadly, the involuntary yawn leaving her mouth.

"Viola has Kristina and she knows that you're here. She'll call if something happens. When Viola's day is over, I'll pick Kristina up and the two of you can stay here as long as you want."

Alexis didn't respond and he glanced down relieved that she had finally fallen asleep. His thoughts went to Ric Lansing and the deep need to cause him serious bodily injury flowed deep in his blood. He would pay for hurting Alexis, that much was certain.

Jax had been with Alexis since late last night. She had called him asking if he could watch Kristina for a few minutes while she went to check on Ric. Luke Spencer had called her telling her that he had put a drunken Ric into a cab to the Metro Court. Alexis was worried when Ric didn't answer his cell phone, so she went to the hotel to make sure he had arrived safely. What she found, however, was her husband and Reese Marshall in his hotel room.

Alexis came home, silent tears running down her face and she simply fell into his arms, no words spoken. Jax had called Viola asking her if she could come in much earlier than usual to care for Kristina. Once Viola arrived, he had taken Alexis to his apartment where she finally filled him in on what had happened.

Jax's entire body was tense with anger. He was going to kill Ric. That was the sole thought running through his head. Not once had Alexis blamed Ric. She placed the blame on herself. That it was her fault because she was the one that requested the divorce. By early that morning, she had convinced herself that Ric didn't love her. That he never loved her. She was trying to reason what had happened, he knew that. She was coming up with a hundred different excuses to hide the real truth.

Ric had broken her heart.

~~~~~~~~~~

Ric called Alexis's office as he made his way to the apartment. He cursed under his breath when he was told that she had called in sick. Alexis never called in sick. He called her cell phone next, but wasn't surprised when he was greeted by her voicemail. He then called the home number where no answer was to be found. He reached the building a few minutes later and rushed up the stairs to the apartment not bothering to wait for the elevator. His hand shook as he tried to insert his key to unlock the door. Finally succeeding, he threw the door open, calling for his wife.

"Alexis! Alexis!"

Viola came around the corner at his shouting and Ric couldn't help but note the surprised look on her face.

"Mr. Lansing, Ms. Davis isn't home."

"Oh, God," he whispered under his breath. He hadn't been to mass in years, but that particular phrase had been escaping his mouth all morning. "Do you know where she is?" he finally asked her.

Viola pursed her lips in contemplation. "She and Mr. Jacks left earlier."

"Jax?" Ric questioned. "He stopped by?"

Again, Viola chose her answer carefully. "He was here when I arrived."

Ric's face grew worried, trying to place the pieces together in his mind. "What time was that?"

She chewed on her lower lip. Ms. Davis hadn't instructed her on what she should tell her husband should he stop by.

"Viola?"

"About three."

"Three? In the morning?!"

She nodded quickly. "Mr. Jax called and asked if I could come in earlier than usual."

Ric licked his dry lips. "Alexis? Was she ok?"

"She looked . . . sad," she answered honestly. "At first I thought something had happened to Kristina, but she's fine."

Ric cursed under his breath. He had to find her.

"Are you all right, Mr. Lansing?" Viola asked him, taking notice of his haggard appearance.

"No, no, I'm not," he answered and made his way to the door. He stopped and faced Viola again. "Kristina?"

"She's playing in her room."

He nodded once and changed directions going to her room instead. He stood in the doorway watching his daughter play with her stuffed animals carrying on a conversation that only she could understand. She looked up and finally noticed Ric in the doorway, a large smile crossing her face.

"Wic!" she exclaimed happily. She jumped to her feet and ran to him clutching his legs tightly.

Ric tried to fight off the tears and forced a smile on his face before picking her up. "How's my favorite girl?" he asked her kissing her all over her face.

She giggled and captured his face with her tiny hands. "Face itchy," she grinned at him.

Ric nodded his head at her observation. He hadn't shaved that morning. He stared at the little girl he loved like his own, her big brown eyes watching him amused.

"Oh, sweets, where did your Mama go?" he asked aloud.

"Mama?" her small head titled to side looking over his shoulder. She looked back to Ric when she didn't see her mother. "Baby in tummy," she informed him proudly pointing to her own stomach.

"Yeah," he smiled sadly. "The baby is in Mama's tummy."

"Wic have babies?" she asked him curiously.

"No, just Mama."

She nodded her head in understanding. "Wic daddies."

Ric bit his bottom lip trying to keep his tears at bay. "Yeah, sweets, Ric's a daddy."

"Wic Daddy!" she smiled at him. She patted his cheeks happily. "Wic mines daddy too."

This time, he couldn't hold back the tears. Kristina frowned at him when she saw the tears fall down his face.

"Wic Daddy sad?"

He bit his bottom lip, her innocent face watching him intently. He quickly swiped away at his tears.

"No sad, Wic Daddy," she told him shaking her small head. She smoothed back his hair and kissed his nose, mimicking a motion that Ric had done often when soothing her.

"Betters?"

"Yeah, baby, all better."

She smiled at him happy that she had made him feel better. "Wic Daddy play?"

"No, sweets, I'm sorry I can't. I have to go find your Mama."

"Mama?"

"Yeah . . . and I think I know where to find her. You be a good girl for Viola, ok?" he told her, setting her back down on the floor.

"Good girl," she repeated.

Ric watched her play for a moment, the thought that it could be the last time he would struck his heart. He had no one to blame but himself.

"Bye, Kristina," he whispered.

She looked up at him, the same smile crossing her face. "Bye, Wic Daddy." She waved her hand goodbye and continued to play with her toys.

Oh, God, what had he done?

~~~~~~~~~

As the shock of what Ric had done continued to resonate with her, the numbness continued to grow.

Jax watched his best friend carefully as she slept on his couch. He knew that her withdrawnness would not last long. The anger that she felt, but hadn't recognized, would strike her soon. But for the moment, all he could do was be there for her. He had neglected their friendship for too long and he was angry with himself for letting a disaster such as this be the pinnacle of throwing them back into each other's lives. He shook his head sadly. He hadn't even shared with her when his wedding was taking place.

Courtney had stopped by a few minutes earlier and was none too pleased that her fiancée was spending time with his ex-wife.

"Jax," she sighed, placing a hand on her hip. He was too busy watching Alexis sleep to acknowledge her presence. "We have so much to do before the wedding and I don't think you're doing Alexis any good. I think we should just take her home."

Courtney didn't know what exactly had happened, just that she and Ric had decided to end their marriage. For whatever reason, Alexis decided to let Jax be the shoulder she would cry on.

Jax's eyes flashed to Courtney. "Alexis will be staying here for as long as she wants, Courtney. We've postponed the wedding twice because of your family's dramatized life," he began. "We can certainly postpone it again if my family is having troubles as well."

"Alexis isn't family. She's no blood relation to you--"

"You're right," he interrupted. "She's more than that. Blood doesn't make family, Courtney. I think it's about time you realized that."

Before she could respond, the loud pounding at Jax's front door began.

The insistent pounding woke Alexis, instinctively knowing who it was. She knew that it was inevitable that he would find her. She just wished it would have taken him longer. She didn't want to see him. She didn't want to confirm what she had been thinking all night and morning was true. He didn't love her. And their marriage, whether good or bad, was over.

"Don't worry," Jax told her. "I'll get rid of him."

"Jax, I have to face him eventually," she told him, standing to answer the door.

Jax grasped her by the arm gently and led her to his bedroom instead. "You're right, but it doesn't have to be right now. Stay here, I'll be right back."

"You can't be the knight in shining armor this time, Jax."

"Yes, I can. Let me do this for you, Alexis."

Her eyes danced across her face and she finally nodded her head. "Ok."

He kissed the top of her head and headed for the front door, anger bouncing off of him in waves. Alexis stood by the bedroom door, able to hear the conversation outside clearly.

"I know she's here, Jax," Ric began anxiously.

"Who?" Jax replied coldly.

"My wife."

Jax narrowed his eyes down at the smaller man. "She's not here."

Ric moved closer to the entryway and Jax pushed him back forcefully.

"Jax," came Courtney's familiar whine. "We shouldn't get in the middle of this."

"Listen to your wife," Ric told him.

"Alexis isn't here, Lansing. I suggest you leave now."

Jax's normally warm blue eyes could have frozen Ric in place if he had the power. Ric nodded after a moment. "Fine, I'll leave. But tell Alexis that I need to speak--"

"That's up to Alexis," Jax told him stopping him from continuing.

The door slammed shut and Alexis could hear Jax and Courtney speaking to one another.

"Jax, we shouldn't get in the middle of this."

"Damn right we should. He hurt my best friend! He hurt Alexis and there's no way in hell I'm letting him get away with it."

"It's none of our business."

"Alexis is my business. She'd be the first to deny it, but I've been a shit of a friend to her lately. She needs me right now. And as long as she does, I'll be here."

"Jax, please."

Alexis came out of the bedroom and into the living room. "She's right, Jax. I appreciate you keeping Ric away for now, but you're about to be married. I'm not going to take up any more of your time."

"Alexis, you're not leaving."

"She can stay at the Metro Court," Courtney offered. "We need our time together."

Jax narrowed his eyes at his soon-to-be wife.

"She's right, Jax," Alexis offered, not wanting to be the cause of a fight in their relationship.

He nodded slowly and walked into the bedroom. "I'll be right back," he called.

Courtney looked at Alexis and crossed her arms across her chest. "Where's my niece?"

She picked the wrong day to question her about anything. "My daughter is none of your concern."

She rolled her eyes and Alexis crossed her arms as well. "You better be careful, Courtney, you keep rolling your eyes as much as you do and they'll get stuck that way."

She opened her mouth to respond, but Jax returned with a large overnight bag in his hands. Courtney looked at Alexis with a smug look on her face and Alexis silently questioned why Jax would even consider marrying this woman.

"You packed an overnight bag for Alexis, that's a good idea, honey."

"It's not for Alexis," he told her honestly. "It's for me. Alexis and I will be staying at the Metro Court, if you need me, leave a message at the front desk and I'll be sure to get it."

"Jax you can't be serious," she cried.

"There's no way in hell that I'm leaving Alexis right now."

"Jax, you can't do this," Alexis told him, astounded that he would even consider it.

"You don't want Ric around right now and I don't want him around you. And I'm going to make damn sure it stays that way until you're ready to talk to him."

"I can stay by myself," she told him with a smile - the first one in hours. "I am a grown woman, you know."

"I know, but I'm not changing my mind. Let's go."

Alexis bit her bottom lip considering his suggestion and finally shrugged. She could just kick him out later when she needed to. They walked out of the apartment without a backwards glance.

Courtney stared at the door for a few good ten minutes before pulling out her cell phone, impatiently waiting for the person to pick up.

"Ric, this is Courtney Matthews. I thought you'd want to know that Alexis is going to be staying at the Metro Court with Jax. No, I don't know the room number, but I'm sure the front desk will give it to you. Yeah, you're welcome."

She ended the call and tapped the phone to her chin. That would be sure to send her fiancée home.

~~~~~~~

Ric arrived at the Metro Court within minutes of Courtney's call. He quickly walked up to the reception area and was greeted by one of the staff.

"I'm here to see my wife Alexis Davis. I need to know what room she's in."

The clerk began to search the name through the computer database and saw the blinking note flashing at him.

"Mr. Lansing?"

"Yes, that's me."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lansing, but I'm not authorized to divulge that information to you."

"What do you mean? She's my wife."

"I understand, sir, but I can not give you any other information per the request of Ms. Davis."

Ric nodded sadly and began to pace through the lobby. If he had to stay there for days on end before she came down, then so be it.

"Back again, Mr. Lansing?" the voice from behind greeted him.

Ric turned around and was surprised to see his old pal Jimmy the bellhop. Maybe he wouldn't have to wait after all. "Jimmy, have you seen my wife?"

Jimmy quickly glanced behind him and then back to Ric. "Um, your wife?"

"Yeah," he answered anxiously. "Pregnant? Hottie? Remember?"

Jimmy's eyes darted across the lobby as if trying to find a place to hide. "Uh . . ."

"Jimmy," Ric began, "I need to find her."

Jimmy focused back onto Ric taking note of his worried face. "Mr. Jacks checked her into the Presidential Suite about a half hour ago," he told him.

"Thanks," Ric replied gratefully and made his way toward the elevators.

"Mr. Lansing?"

"Yeah?" he sighed turning back to face him.

"Um, Mr. Jacks wasn't very happy when he stopped by to check her in. I'd appreciate it if you didn't mention where you got the information."

Ric quickly nodded his head. "Done."

~~~~~~~~~

"I'll be back," Jax told Alexis kissing her cheek quickly. "Maybe take another nap or a warm shower and I'll send up some room service so you can eat."

"Jax--"

"Don't start, Alexis. You know you need to eat."

She nodded silently as he headed out the door. Alexis threw back the covers on the plush bed, the exhaustion she felt finally catching up to her. A few seconds later, a quick knock came at the door. She sighed guessing that Jax had forgotten the room key card. She threw the door open not bothering to check to see who it was. Who she saw, however, was the last person she expected.

"We need to talk," he told her, a cruel smile crossing his face.

Alexis crossed her arms across her chest. "Care to share how you found me?"

He scratched an eyebrow, the smile not leaving his face. "I have my sources."

"I don't have anything to say to you," she told him, trying to close the door in his face.

He held up his hand blocking the door. "That's ok. I got plenty enough to say for the both of us."

"Sonny, this isn't a good time."

"I don't care," he told her, the smile finally leaving his face. He made his way into her room and Alexis shook her head. This was the last thing she needed.

Part 3

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