Thanks for the reviews everyone! For the person who asked: yes, there was a Jason and Sam reunion and no, Maxie is not a surrogate. And I'm so glad you're enjoying the Lucy/Maxie stuff. She adds a little humor and fun to the story which I like.
I'm really happy with how this chapter came together. I revealed a little more about what happened since the breakup so I hope you guys enjoy it!
Chapter 2: Bailing
Most people in Port Charles knew that Jason and Maxie had been married. It had been almost three years and so many things had happened that it wasn't something many people still remembered. That made it easier for Maxie to deal with. Rarely did her marriage come up in conversation, but that may have had something to do with the fact that she tended to avoid it at all costs. She didn't like to bring up the subject for many reasons.
"It's not a big deal." Maxie said, shaking her head. It had been awhile since she'd come across someone who didn't know her past or the situations she'd gotten herself into like Lucy.
"Not a big deal? You were married to a mob enforcer!"
Maxie sighed and fiddled with her clutch. "It's a complicated situation and I'd just prefer not to talk about it, okay?" She stood up from the chair and smoothed out her dress. "I'll go check on the appetizers again."
Lucy watched as Maxie made her way towards the kitchen again before she was able to say anything else. It was just an excuse to get away which was fine with her, for now at least. Although she didn't know all the details, Lucy could tell Maxie was keeping a lot of things inside. She certainly wouldn't have guessed that Jason and Maxie would have ever been an item, but she'd seen stranger things happen in Port Charles over the years.
In the kitchen, the chef assured Maxie that not a single shrimp would leave. Maxie hoped that was true. She really wasn't in the mood to get another earful from Lucy about the matter. Never did she think something as simple and mundane as shrimp would cause such a problem. She wasn't about to question her boss though. The two women had a good relationship, but Maxie didn't want to jeopardize her job in any way.
When Maxie returned to the dining room, the gala was in full swing. She guessed there were close to one hundred people which was around their target. Lucy had found a microphone and was starting to make a speech. She cracked a few jokes and had the room chuckling a little. Maxie smiled and returned to the bar to get another drink. Thankfully Jason was nowhere around.
On the balcony, Jason finished off his bottle of beer and set it on the concrete ledge as he looked out over the city. He hated events like these and was regretting committing to it. Carly had convinced him it would be a good idea to get out and do some good in the process. Apparently it wasn't enough that he'd written a very generous check.
The moment he'd seen Maxie, he wished he'd just stayed at home. His marriage to Maxie wasn't something he liked to think about much. It was a really messed up situation and he certainly hadn't made it any easier for either of them. They both had thought getting married was a good idea. It was the only option for Jason and Maxie had gone along with it even though she shouldn't have. Very few people actually knew the real reason they had gotten married in the first place. Most of their friends and family had come around to the idea that they'd been together in secret when that wasn't the case at all. Their relationship had turned into something more which came as a surprise to Jason especially. He wasn't looking to fall in love, but he had. He didn't do a good job of expressing that to Maxie though.
Anyone who knew Jason wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest by that fact. Jason wasn't one to show emotion and that had ultimately led to the demise of a lot of relationships in his life. It was hard for him to open up and let people in. He felt safer when he was pushing people away. But that didn't mean he wasn't affected by it all. His inability to give and accept love was why he was alone and unhappy.
Maxie ordered another glass of wine and snuck out onto the balcony while most of the guests were still focused on Lucy. She took in some fresh air and let it out with a sigh before she spotted who else had decided to take a break from the crowd. He'd already seen her so she knew turning around and going inside would just make her look bad. So instead of taking the coward way out like she really wanted to do, Maxie decided to suck it up and face him. After all, it was about damn time.
The last time the two had spoken before earlier that night was when Maxie had run into Jason at the hospital. Maxie didn't know why he'd been there, but she'd assumed he was there to meet Sam for a sonogram appointment. She'd congratulated him on his soon-to-be-fatherhood and it was one of the most awkward and uncomfortable conversations she'd ever been involved in. It had taken all she had not to run away and find someplace to bawl her eyes out. Even though it had been about two years at that point, the emotions had a way of creeping up to the surface.
Maxie brought the wine glass up to her lips and took a sip before she hesitantly walked towards Jason. He turned slightly and leaned against the railing as she approached. She could hear him let out a breath.
"So, how's Danny?" She asked, deciding that would be the nice thing to ask about. She hadn't followed the news very closely on purpose, but the whole town knew about the baby switch and the whole Franco situation. But Maxie did know that Jason had turned out to be the father which she did think was great. Jason was an excellent father, she was sure of it. Everyone always said Jason was great with kids.
Jason hadn't expected her to ask about his son and it caught him a little off-guard. "Uh, he's good. He's getting big."
"Yeah, they tend to do that." Maxie replied before she mentally chided herself for saying something so stupid.
They hadn't ended things on the best of terms, but Jason never thought it'd be so difficult to be around Maxie. With his other ex-wives, they eventually got to a place where they could be friends. Jason wasn't sure he'd ever get to that place with Maxie. Too much had happened that she couldn't forgive and certainly couldn't forget.
"How have you been? You're working for Lucy, right?" He'd never admit it to anyone, but Jason had kind of been keeping tabs on Maxie. He knew about her relationship with Johnny and her work situation. He didn't allow himself to get too involved, but he wanted to make sure she was okay.
Maxie nodded and took another drink. "Yes. She's kind of a handful, but it's been really good so far." She answered with a shrug. After her job with Crimson ended while she was still married to Jason, she hadn't worked too much. She hadn't needed to while she was with Johnny either. But now that she was on her own again, Maxie was happy to be a working woman once again.
Jason nodded. "It's what you wanted to do," he commented. Maxie had an interest in fashion and event planning so working for Lucy was really the perfect job. She got to do what she loved and probably get paid pretty well for it.
Talking about work was a fairly safe subject for them, at long as they stayed on Maxie's current employment situation. Maxie never was one to care about what Jason did necessarily. She didn't approve, but she knew Jason served a purpose in that particular field.
The conversation stalled and Maxie brought the wine glass up to her lips once more. She was a little curious about his relationship status with Sam, but she didn't want to ask. It wasn't like it mattered anyway. Jason wasn't a part of Maxie's life anymore and that's how it was going to stay.
"I should head back inside." Maxie wasn't entirely sure what Lucy expected her to do tonight exactly, but standing out on the balcony with Jason most likely wasn't in the plans. It also happened to be a good excuse to get away from him.
As Maxie turned to walk away, Jason spoke up again. "Maxie… I'm… I'm sorry."
For some reason, he felt the need to apologize to her. There was so much he'd done that he couldn't take back. He felt a lot of regret when it came to Maxie and it weighed on him.
Maxie closed her eyes for a moment before she turned around. "You think apologizing really makes things any better? Apologies don't matter, Jason. So stop."
In that moment, she hated him for dredging up those memories. It wasn't hard to do really, but it was unnecessary. She'd managed to live her life just fine without him and apparently he'd done the same. He'd gotten together with Sam and got married to her even. They were in love and happy, at least for awhile. They had a beautiful little boy from their relationship too. He'd obviously moved on and faired just fine.
Turning around once more, Maxie downed the rest of her wine and headed inside. She set her glass down on a table as she walked by.
"Oh, there you are!" Lucy moved out from the crowd over to Maxie.
"Not now, okay? I really just need to leave." Maxie replied, her voice full of emotion. She absolutely hated feeling that way. She hated that just being around Jason made her get that way. Even after all that time, he still had a pull on her. He still had a piece of her.
On the balcony, Jason slammed his fist down on the concrete ledge and groaned. He hadn't meant for the apology to happen like that. He hadn't meant for Maxie to get upset with him. Running a hand over his face, he sighed. There were still raw feelings there for both of them. They'd left so many things unresolved when their marriage had ended.
"But I need you here to help. This thing is just getting started!" Lucy was starting to get a little frantic. She didn't appreciate her most valuable employee to bail on an important event.
Maxie really didn't want to leave Lucy like that, but she knew she wouldn't be able to pull herself together enough to function how she needed to. She just needed time to be alone and sort through all the thoughts and emotions.
"I'm sorry." She said, shaking her head as she headed through the crowds for the elevator.
Once the doors closed, she took a deep breath as a tear rolled down her cheek.
