Jax hit end on the cellphone, closed it against his suit jacket and slipped it in is his pocket. 'Where is she?' he thought to himself. When he called her to tell her to start the popcorn, he had expected to find her eagerly awaiting his call. 'I thought she was getting off early today', he thought absently as he walked across the hotel lobby.
Jax had spent all day trying to feel some guilt at the realization that he wasn't missing Chloe. Ned and Chloe were four days into a 2-week long business trip to Milan. Jax and Alexis has seen them to the airport and said thier goodbyes. They'd been dutifly depressed at the prospect of 2 weeks without them but it had all gone away in a matter of hours, with thier first late night movie-thon, popcorn fest. Each night was better than the first.
He couldn't wait to get 'home' today. The penthouse was becoming home. 'Our home' he thought to himself, wondering why that felt so good. Not having to stress out about getting caught with the wrong person was good for them. The last 2 nights, instead of watching a movie, he'd talked with her, about missing Jerry and about other things. She didn't try to offer advice. She didn't pretend to understand what he was feeling. She just listened.
Jax stepped on the crowded elevator, thinking, it was going to take forever to get up to the penthouse tonight. The elevator stopped on what seemed like every floor. He whistled a happy tune oblivious to the smug figure toward the back of the elevator til it was too late. 'What's he doing here?' Jax thought to himself as the last 2 passengers left the elevator leaving only Jax and Sonny for the rest of the ride. When Jax realized he wasn't getting off before the penthouse level, he had to say something. "I thought we agreed we'd have no contact, for about 3 months or so after my brother's dissapearance. I thought that was a nice arrangement. What's changed? Are you hear to cash in on the favour I owe you."
"No Jax, I'm waiting for something big. Wouldn't want to waste your obvious talents." Sonny said with obvious sarcasm in his voice, "on something small. Actually, Alexis asked me to come by, she has some contracts on a building we are buying to expand the coffee business. I'm running late. She probably thought I'd be long gone by the time you got home. Do you mind?"
Jax minded, at least he liked to think he did. He didn't want to have that man in his home. He didn't want his wife working for him, but that wasn't his call. "My wife's business is her business, but I think she may be running late as well. I tried to call her about 5 minutes ago. She didn't answer." They spent the rest of the elevator trip in silence, leaving Jax alone with his thoughts.
Maybe he was being self indulgent, maybe she wasn't enjoying this as much as he was. When she hadn't answered he thought maybe the increased closeness he was feeling the last few days was all in his head. 'I need to pay more attention' he thought to himself. 'I need to give her more space' but the thought of that made him sad. He resolved to ask her if she was having fun. He started to formulate a plan to set up a nice dinner 'at home' no pretense and just listen to her. He didn't even think about them going out anywhere. They could be so much more real with each other without an audience.
The elevator doors opened. "Are you gonna get out, Jax, its your floor." Sonny said mockingly. 'What was he daydreaming about?' Sonny thought to himself. 'I don't care.' He awnsered his own thoughts, then a secondnd thought went into his head before he could stop it. 'If I had a wife like that to come home to I'd daydream too.' 'Where had that thought come from?' He was ammused at the voices in his head.
Jax stepped out of the elevator, searching for his key. He reached down to hold the knob as he inserted the key and the knob gave way easily. The door was open. "That's strange", he said aloud. He walked inside, Sonny right behind him. "Oh my God!" Jax exclaimed at the ruins of the penthouse. Everything was on its side, Christmas ornaments torn down, papers on the floor.
Sonny drew him back. "Wait!!!" Sonny brought a gun out from what seemed like thin air. He entered the penthouse scanning the room for intruders. "They might still be here."
"I don't care, Alexis might have been here." Jax said panicing rushing into the room. Sonny having given up, stayed on alert and helped him to look around. Sonny rounded the couch and stopped short at what he saw. "Alexis" he said softly kneeling to the floor. "JAX!!" he yelled out. It's Alexis.