A few days later....
Chloe's Bedroom in Milan
Chloe and Ned turned to face each other in the bed they had shared for the last few nights. There was a mixture of passion and guilt on their faces. It was a wordless mutual decision that it was time to talk this out. "What now?" Chloe asked Ned dreading the answer.
"I'm not sure, Chloe. I don't know what comes next. All I know..." Chloe looked away afraid of what was coming next. She didn't want to hear that he regretted this. He couldn't lie to himself or to her, even if that would be easier for him, easier on Alexis. Alexis, he thought to himself, this was going to break her heart, if her heart was still his. He was convinced there was more in Alexis' eyes for Jax then friendship. He took her chin and turned his face to her. "Look at me... All I know is that in your arms, is where I want to be. We can figure out the rest later. This feels too right for it to be wrong."
"And Alexis." Chloe said not wanting to break the spell that bad been woven between them the last few days.
"I'll talk to her when we get home. I'll be honest with her and we'll go from there." He was determined to be open with her and hoping that she'd try to understand. He knew Alexis and knew person-to-person was the only way to handle things. He looked at Chloe and for the doubts fled from his mind. "Let's just live in the moment."
"Are you sure?" Ned answered her with a kiss. Chloe knew that she had to do something to make things easier for them. She knew that she couldn't face Jax and he, Alexis. She decided she had to prepare them somehow, just to make things easier. Ned would thank her later. She waited for him to fall asleep and quietly slipped out of bed. She walked out and into the sitting room and sat down with a pad of paper. She began to write. Dear Jax, .....
************************************* The Penthouse
"It's about that time." Jax said as he gathered the items he needed.
"You know, I can do this myself. You don't have to do it for me." Alexis was self-conscious. She didn't want Jax to see her face. She'd been released from the hospital that morning and had been dreading this ever since.
"You are supposed to rest, my darling wife. Besides, I doubt you'd even know what to do. I tend to remember a certain someone, choosing the exact moment that Dr. Lisaq gave us instructions, to notice that Johnny has a 'nice but.' "
"Well, he does." Jax rolled his eyes. Alexis smiling expression turned to one of desperation. "Do you have to look when you clean it?"
"You are beautiful, Alexis. Nothing will change that." Jax was the picture of patience. He started to remove her bandage. The long stitched area at her hairline did not sicken him in the least. It would be barely noticeable with her hair down. His anger at the circumstances that put it there showed on his face.
"Jax, are you okay?" Alexis saw his expression. She knew it was one of pure anger, not of disgust.
"I'm fine, just concentrating. Now be a good little patient and let me do this." Jax smiled to ease the tension.
"Okay Nurse Jacks." Alexis said trying to smile and melt some of his anger away.
"Hey, that's Doctor to you. Mrs. Jacks." Jax stood up and arranged the pillows around her on the couch.
Alexis looked away. Softly she said, "Thank you."
He couldn't handle the sadness in her eyes. "Are you sure you don't want me to call Ned? He's going to be angry when he finds out we kept this from him."
"It's safer for them to stay away. They'll be back soon. I'll make him understand that I only kept this from him to keep them safe. As long as they aren't around here, nothing can happen to them." She repeated the same excuses she had made to him at the hospital.
They both knew there was more to it. They both knew they were having fun. They also knew that the antics they had to pull off to keep up the marriage charades had lost their appeal. There were more serious things at stake here now.
Jax had been to her office and retrieved the copies of the files the day before. She had insisted that they start working on them as soon as she got home. He had wanted her to go to bed, but she had insisted that the couch was fine. He watched as she gathered up the pages again. He had done as much as he could on his own, but most of the papers were in Greek, and he couldn't read Greek. "Could you possibly interpret some of that for me, Alexis?"
"Sure!" She patted the cushion next to her and he sat down.
************** Sonny's Penthouse
Sonny, Roy and Luke sat around Sonny's table. Luke had news and had brought Roy along. "So you see, all I have to do is bring the cash to this Mr. Winstreak and he'll hand-over the copies of the information that was taken."
"Are you sure you can trust him?" Sonny asked skeptical, knowing Luke didn't trust anyone. 'Why this guy?'
"Could it be a setup?" Roy asked concerned for his friend. "It could be very will be a trap."
"I've had dealings with him before. He has a price. I met it. It's that simple." Luke smiled like that would explain everything.
"What was the price?" Sonny asked.
"$70,000."
Roy whistled. "That's steep!"
"I thought I'd let Jax know that we have a lead on the papers. I'm sure he'd pay that much to get his hands on them." Luke looked at Sonny wondering what he'd think of that.
"I don't see why we have to bring him into this."
Luke glared at Sonny. "For one thing partner," Luke used the familiar term without thinking. "He's her husband."
"I know that Luke. I just think the less people who know the better. We can get the papers, do some of the research ourselves. You said yourself, she has no idea what's in them. If we find out, we can find out what they think she knows and tell her. It would be a way of keeping her safe, a little bit longer, until she can have the upper hand."
Luke couldn't argue with his logic. He had been sure this had something to do with the Sonny's animosity towards Jax, but Sonny's reasoning made sense.
"Okay, so here's the plan. I'll go and meet him. Roy will back me up and you, you my friend, will give me the cash." Luke acted like that was the last word.
"So I'm just shut out." Sonny seemed upset that he wouldn't be in on the fun.
"You are too high profile to be seen with me by them. If this is some kind of setup, you could be setting yourself up as a Cassadine target. Alexis needs at least one person who's not a target on her side." It was Sonny's turn to accept Luke's logic. "Is this okay with you, Roy?"
"I'm ready to go!" Roy was eager as always. "When's the meeting?"
"Day after tomorrow." Luke told Sonny he'd be back for the cash tomorrow and they left.
Taggert who had been on his way to question Sonny again about Alexis' case caught sight of Roy and Luke as they left Sonny's penthouse. 'They are up to something.' He thought to himself. 'and I'm going to find out what it is.'
********************************************* Chloe mailed the letter later that morning. Smiling to herself. 'This will make things much easier.'
********************************************* Alexis was beginning to wonder, what they had stumbled on to. Receipts for personal items, that didn't make any sense. She finally came across some correspondence that looked important. It was very coded and hard to understand. "What is it?" Jax said trying hard to follow along.
"Well, these are riddled instructions, like clues for leading someone, somewhere for something." Alexis said continuing to read.
"Thanks for clearing that up. I fell much better now." Jax said smiling. She gave him a look and went back to the papers.
"It looks like Helena had someone setting up a plan to lead someone to something. I'm just not sure what it is. It's like she was hiding something big and then going to play a game with the person that went on the search." She continued to read the clues until she got to the last one. It took her a minute to realize what they had stumbled onto. "Oh my God, It can't be."
"What? What can't be? Why are you shaking? Alexis?"