Disclaimer: I have no part in General Hospital, no share in the ownership of these characters, etc. This is written purely for fun, no profiting involved. Don't sue, please?
Notes: The title is taken from the lyrics of Amazed by Poe, which I think suits Spixie pretty well.
Pairings: Implied Spixie

All My Cages & My Hideouts

In Port Charles, there was almost always at least one person standing at the pier, looking out over the water as they contemplated their problems.

Tonight, it was Maxie's turn.

Had anyone told her a year ago that she'd be trying to talk herself out of her feelings for Spinelli, she would have laughed in that person's face. But to her shock and definite displeasure, that was what she was doing now. In the quiet night with no distractions, no other people-

"Maxie?"

Damn it.

"Don't you ever make any noise?" She pivoted on her heel, arms crossed over her chest. Most people would have cowered immediately if Jason Morgan, Port Charles' most infamous hit man, was giving them that sharp stare. Maxie simply lifted her chin. She'd seen it often enough that it impressed her even less now than it had the first time- which hadn't been much even then.

"You'd better not be here for a shootout or something," she informed him, her voice ringing out through the cool evening air.

"No, it's nothing like that," he told her. "I'm just here because- I need to ask you something."

"Oh," she said, startled. Her arms started to slip, but then she remembered who she was dealing with and said, more firmly this time, "Well?"

He actually appeared to be hesitating. She'd never seen him anything less than resolved. "Look, I don't like getting involved in anyone's personal business, but Spinelli- well, he means a lot to me, and you mean a lot to him."

Maxie flinched, looking away, back towards the water. She couldn't help it. That was so not what she needed to hear right now. But Maxie was good at hurting herself, so instead of walking away she impatiently said, "Look, just say it. The sooner you do, the sooner we can pretend this conversation never happened."

Jason's eyes narrowed. He pretty much always looked annoyed when she was around, but this was more than that. It was outright anger. "Spinelli's been miserable the last few weeks," he bit out, "and you haven't been around. I don't think that's a coincidence. He won't tell me what's wrong, so I thought I'd ask you. Are you avoiding Spinelli?"

She wanted to bitch and yell and get rid of him so that she could get the quiet and peace back before she forgot that she wanted it. And she could do it. She didn't see him the way most people did; she didn't fear him, and she certainly didn't respect his guns or his job or his hero complex.

However, she did respect him for wanting to protect Spinelli. She had never been the best older sister on the planet, but even she could remember the feeling. "I don't want to hurt him," she said simply, letting her arms drop to her sides.

The anger faded from Jason's expression, replaced by surprise. Then his voice hardened. "What do you think you're doing right now?"

"No, you don't get it." She waved his response away. "Everyone who I get close to always gets hurt, if they don't leave first. I'm trying to change, I really am, but… I don't know if I can. And I mean, sure, Spinelli got me stuck in a sewer and nearly killed by Dr. Devlin and all that, but he's done a lot of things for me, too. Great things. He deserves the best and… and he won't get it from me."

Jason took his time responding. He just stood at the pier, a figure of black and denim and shadows, taking her measure. "Spinelli's a pretty smart guy," he finally said. "Why don't you see what he has to say about this?"

Maxie stared. "I thought you'd agree with me."

He shrugged. "You cause a lot of trouble, but Spinelli wouldn't care about you for no reason."

"Clearly he would," she said with a quick, hollow smile. "But I'll talk to him."

He looked very relieved, though she wasn't sure if it was because she'd given in or because the conversation could end now. "If you want a ride-"

"No, thanks," she quickly interrupted. "One car trip with you was more than enough. And I think I'm going to stay here a little longer, anyway."

"All right," he said with a shrug, and was gone as quietly as he'd arrived.

Once again it was just Maxie staring out over the water, the city at her back. But this time, rather than settling in for the long haul she just contemplated the stillness for a moment before tossing her head and walking away.

Peace and quiet, she concluded yet again, was overrated. She'd rather watch Spinelli smile.