May 2014
Alexis loved being back in her house after months away from it. Ned brought in the luggage while she and Molly went from room to room checking on everything. Sam and Silas had helped get it ready for their return and even filled the refrigerator and pantry with groceries.
Not that it'd do much good unless Molly did the cooking. Her daughter went back outside to look out across the lake, still chilled this time of year. Ned followed Alexis into the kitchen where she decided to make some iced tea to take to the living room.
She poured them both glasses.
"So you've got this big board meeting tonight?"
He nodded.
"Tracy and Monica are strategizing and Lucy...she's been waffling, acting strange when discussing issues with her. More so than normal. And Julian..."
Alexis narrowed her eyes.
"Julian...what's he doing at ELQ?"
Ned sighed.
"He's on the board now. He and Ava hatched a plan to scoop it up using AJ...who sadly is in and out of detox these days."
Alexis nodded, knowing he'd hit the bottle and had not stopped even after being acquitted of Connie's murder.
"He just wants to maximize profits. Since I don't trust him at all, I think he's using ELQ to launder money from some of his more...questionable ventures."
Alexis shrugged.
"Well he's a mob boss. He needs legitimate businesses as fronts to run his illegal operations."
Ned sipped his iced tea.
"He's not using this company if I have anything to say about it...and Tracy...his sister tried it last year."
Alexis remembered that vaguely as she'd been busy with Sam trying to deal with Danny's cancer. It'd been around the time that the article about Kiki's true paternity had been divulged.
"So you up to showing up at the meeting as a gesture of moral support?"
She hedged.
"I don't know..."
She wasn't keen on running into Julian...especially right now. No time to even get her bearings after being gone so long.
"Come on...you remember what our soirees are like..."
"Yes I do...but I have some work to do straightening this place out..."
He looked straight at her.
"This isn't about Julian Jerome is it?"
She bit her lip.
"He and I...we didn't part in good terms...and with what he did with Danny, I just don't want to see him right now."
Not completely the truth but mostly. Just thinking about him had sent emotions swirling inside of her that had been kept in check for so long.
"He's been trying to get his son interested but Lucas is and always will be involved in medicine."
Alexis sipped her tea again.
"Every mobster wants a son to follow in his footsteps but Lucas is a smart man and he'll be his own person...Julian will just have to get that he can't control people by will."
Ned looked concerned.
"What about Sam?"
Alexis sighed.
"She's keeping him at more than arm's length especially with the latest mob war. She's got a son to raise. Besides he's getting married to Carly..."
Ned wrinkled his forehead.
"He mentioned that. Now that's an odd couple."
Alexis didn't laugh at that. She thought it made perfect sense. All men gravitated to the PC Welcome Wagon and stayed with her until she broke her toys and tossed them aside. Okay, the marriage angle was different but then she'd married Jax too.
"It's not so odd. They're both into using other people. So now they can use each other and who knows, maybe they'll bond over it."
"So is it really that cut and dry? Between you and him."
Alexis fidgeted with her glass.
"Nothing ever is but he's made his choices...and they don't involve his children."
Ned sighed.
"I know how much family matters to you. I'm sorry..."
She shrugged.
"No need for that...Okay maybe I'll break tradition and actually go to an ELQ soiree..."
He smiled.
"Good that's set...I can always use an ally in my corner."
Alexis sipped her tea curious about what Julian had up his sleeve regarding the Quartermaines.
Julian sat at his desk, bored at his planning session. He'd sent Duke out on an errand not trusting the man. He knew he was in Sonny's camp and yet as the mob war raged on, he seemed to have been good at running the fort in the company.
Ava sashayed in, not very happy. It'd been a difficult few months for her what with surviving a couple attempts at taking her out not to mention some revisiting of her secret past with Silas. Julian's concern had been whether or not Sam was in any danger associating with the doctor but of course Sam wasn't listening to him let alone taking any advice from him.
His sister just hissed at him.
"Julian...I don't think you should shut me out of this plan you have with ELQ. I did NOT mess up the last time. I was almost there and then you screwed it up by writing that article."
He sighed not wanting to hear it.
"You dropped the ball Ava. I picked it up. This plan's not going to fail. All I need to do is work on Ned. AJ and Lucy are already covered."
Ava smirked.
"Indeed they are. The company is still struggling after the publicity of AJ's trial so taking over it shouldn't be difficult."
He tilted his head.
"We can't underestimate them. But it should be an interesting meeting."
"You keeping Carly on a leash," Ava said, "She caused me to break a nail last party."
"You two should really start making nice with each other," he said, "Since you're going to be inlaws."
She rolled her eyes.
"Don't remind me..."
He clasped his hands together.
"Sis...we have to keep focused. We're due a visit from our friend and I want something much better to report to him than the mob war."
She ran a hand through her hair.
"Better get working then. That agreement you made with him years ago might be null and void if you don't follow through."
"No danger of that."
She narrowed her eyes leaning closer.
"What was it anyway dear brother? What went on between you?"
Julian paused then shuffled some papers.
"Nothing that concerns you..."
She arched a brow.
"Really...It must be something significant if you've aligned yourself with him.
"I told you Ava...none of your concern."
Alexis got ready for the party, wearing black one of her favorite colors. PC hadn't changed much since her absence. She dropped Molly at the rehab center and her daughter would be spending the night at Sam's. She'd called her eldest and told her she'd take her and Danny out to dinner at the pizza place tomorrow.
"You have a date with Ned," she'd asked.
"No...no I'm just backup. It might be a difficult meeting for him what with the Jeromes going after ELQ."
"So Julian will be there."
"Yes but he's underestimating the Quartermaines. It might be fun to watch."
She couldn't keep the edge out of her voice as she dropped Molly off to visit TJ and headed over to the Q mansion.
The valet greeted her and she left her car with him to walk inside, ready to expect anything because you never knew what might happen...
She saw Ned right away and went up to him, embracing him while he kissed her on the cheek.
Julian sighed as Carly and Ava glared at each other like felines. They'd nearly drawn blood last time and this time...
"Carly, you and Ava have to bury the hatchet.
She snarled.
"I don't trust your sister...and even when we get married that won't change. You know the terms."
"Yes I do..."
They were at the wet bar ordering drinks. Julian's eyes wandered and then widened. Across the room he saw Alexis standing and talking to Ned, looking very cozy with him.
"Julian...stop staring...it's just Alexis."
He frowned.
"I thought she was in Australia with..."
Carly rolled her eyes.
"My ex-husband Jax. He called me last week saying that she was there with him and that it was getting quite serious. I highly doubt that. I think he's still hoping I'll take him back."
Julian chortled.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. If he did, you'd know rather than be speculating about it."
She tossed her hair back.
"Whatever...I didn't know she'd be Ned's date. They'd been over for quite a while...anyway I wouldn't worry..."
"I'm not worried...excuse me..."
Alexis saw Julian at the bar with Carly but she focused on Ned as he told her about Alice's new recipe for red velvet cake.
She braced herself.